Prayer Of A Refugee
by AnimeFreakSquee
Summary: What happens when your beliefs are shattered before your very eyes? When you fail to protect the ones you love? Why are you always leaning on my shoulder, when you know I can't protect you? IchigoxOC.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first attempt at a **_**Bleach **_**fanfic. This fic follows the story of my main OC and how her relationship with Ichigo develops. It follows the main plot but with my OCs added in, causing the plot to change and whatnot. The story may seem slow and boring at first but please be patient with me. Anyway, here's a list of pairings: IchigoxOC, one-sided OrihimexIchigo, one-sided UryuxOrihime, RukiaxRenji and…that's all thus far. If you want to see more then please tell me reviews. So, without further adieu… **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Prologue-Report **

"_The best proof of love is trust_."

-Joyce Brothers

A loud crack sounded from my neck as I popped the bone, my feet connecting with the wooden floor below me. _This kink hurts like Hell. _Ivory walls surrounded me, as I continued down the long hallway. I found it hard to believe that I was spending so much time searching for this object; no-one even knew whether it existed or not. _To think that I would be wasting my valuable time with this, and right after leaving the infirmary, too. _But it could not be helped, seeing as we possessed little information.

I stopped outside of a white door, and slid it open, allowing myself access to the room beyond.

A green floor with three white walls. The fourth was missing, allowing me to see the wooden sidewalk and lush garden beyond.

Sitting in the center of the room, on a soft cushion, was the captain of my Division. His lieutenant was notably absent.

I moved forward, stopping directly in front of the man. Most would expect a captain to aged, but the man before me was quite young. Possibly in his mid to late twenties. Long, ebony tresses cascaded down his back; the right side and the top of his head was decorated with an ivory kenseikan or a detailed headpiece as one might call it. Cold, dark brown irises turned to meet my own pale grey ones, waiting for my report. His flesh was light in tone. He wore the standard Gotai Thirteen uniform, which is often referred to as a shihakusho. Said uniform consisted of a medium sleeve, ivory colored shitagi, or commonly known as an undershirt. A black, medium-sleeved kosode was placed over the shitagi, with a white hakama-himo, or a sash, tied around his waist, keeping both the shitagi and kosode closed. A black, baggy hakama, or also known as pants, covered his legs. His ivory socks consisted of white tabi, while brown wooden sandals referred to as waraji acted as his footwear. But he made a few adjustments to his outfit, some that allowed others to see his rank, and others simply to add some individuality. The unnecessary garment consisted of a long, white scarf that he threw around his neck. The garment he was supposed to wear was a long, flowing ivory vest that nearly touched the ground. On the back of the vest was an ebony design sewn into the fabric; the image resembled a camellia, which stood for 'reason'.

My captain need not say a word. I responded to his unspoken question immediately, "This search has proven to be…difficult. All I could ascertain is that the bearer lives in the human world, and her current location is within a country called 'Japan'. We are currently searching the capital city, for the spiritual energy surrounding is quite large compared to most areas, sir."

"I see…" his voice was deep and calm, without emotion, "…continue your search until I say otherwise."

"Sir!" and then there was silence. Instead of leaving, I remained in place.

This seemed to confuse my captain, although he gave no outward signs of it, "Is there anything else?"

"Captain Kuchiki, sir…" I hesitated, unsure whether I should question the situation or not. I decided to give it a try, "…is it really worth it?" He did not reply, so I went on. "What we are searching for…is it really that important?"

Kuchiki glanced down at the wooden table that separated the two of us; it was covered in files and paperwork, "Well, think of it this way. With that item, one could create another one of _those _creatures…something that cannot be allowed to happen without proper surveillance. The damage it could cause…I would rather not think of it."

That was not the only reason. "Yes, sir." Was my simple reply, expected from one's subordinate. I gave him a low bow before turning on my heel and leaving the room…

**End of the prologue. Please review and I shall update soon…**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here is the next chapter. Sorry if this chapter seems a little boring… **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Chapter 1: Normal **

"_Dreams are today's answers to_

_Tomorrow's questions_."

-Edgar Cayce

_Pale gray mist swirled around my legs; darkness surrounded me on all sides. I glanced back and forth, finding that I was completely alone. _This place again? Why do I keep…huh? _I turned around, sensing another presence behind me. I was expecting to see someone else, only to come upon a glowing azure colored orb. _The heck? _I slowly approached it, curious to see what it was. I reached out to it, my fingers wrapping it as they drew nearer. There was a strange, familiar warmth coming from inside of the sphere. A warmth that called out to me…I could feel it, as if another hand was gripping my own. _

What the…? This feels…familiar… _A strange feeling wrapped around my head, a feeling that I closely associated with a voice. But…I could not hear anything. So strange. _How can there be a voice but I can't hear anything? That doesn't make any sense… _I closed my eyes, hoping that I could hear the voice. _

"…_cha…"_

Cha? _I continued to listen, wondering what it could be._

"…_chan." _

An honorific? _Once again, I was confused._

"…_chan!"_

_That was when I recognized it. That voice belonged to her. I shook my head, trying to reply. Slowly, the numbness began to vanish…_

"Hinata-chan!"

Two hands were planted softly on my shoulders, rocking my torso back and forth. My eyelids lifted, allowing my blurred vision a chance to see the outside world. I sat upright, waiting for the haze to clear. I turned to the owner of the voice, finding my closest friend kneeling on my bed.

"Morning, Orihime-chan." I yawned, covering my mouth as I did so.

Orihime Inoue, my best friend and in a way, my foster sister. Long, orange-brown hair cascaded down her back. Her skin was light in tone. Orihime was lean, the most fat on her body being her breasts. Worried, chocolate brown irises gazed at me. The emotion cleared to relief quickly. She was wearing the standard school uniform.

She sighed, pulling her hands away from me, "Finally you woke-up, Hinata-chan. I was starting to feel a little worried."

"How long have you been trying to wake me up?" I was heavy sleeper, so waking me was a difficult task. But that is no reason to worry over me.

"Thirty minutes," she rose to her feet, and began walking towards the door, "You better get dressed or won't have enough time to get any breakfast."

I yawned again, reluctantly sliding off of my bed as I did so. I stretched my arms above my head, and popped my back before crossing the room. My bedroom was a decent size. A crème-yellow blanket was wrapped in a ball, having once been my cocoon on the ivory, sheet-colored bed. My pillow was the same color as the sheets. A wooden, brown nightstand was placed beside my bed; a clear glass of old water sat on the coaster that had been placed on the surface. There was a lamp, and my white and crimson colored alarm clock. A walk-in closet built into the wall held my shirts and pants, with my shoes sitting on the floor inside. A brown wooden dresser was container of my undergarments, bathing suits, and shorts. A television sat on top of my dresser, while a table with a computer sat beside the dresser. My bed was placed in front of my window, which was shut.

I opened my closet doors and pulled the necessary garments out, turning and leaving my bedroom.

I walked across the hallway and stepped into the bathroom, flipping the light on.

I dropped the clothing onto the floor, and then stripped my pajamas off before walking towards the shower. I stepped inside and closed the curtain, then turned the knob, allowing scolding hot water to pelt my body.

I simply stood there, pausing before washing my hair and body. Once I was clean, I stepped out of the shower and opening the closet door. I pulled a fluffy white towel out, and began drying myself off. I dropped the towel on the floor, and quickly began getting dressed once I was dry enough. I slipped a plain, dark grey skirt on after my undergarments, and then a short-sleeved, white shirt. I tied a crimson bow around my neck, and then slipped a pair of black, knee-length socks on my feet.

I turned to the mirror, seeing my reflection starring back at me. My long, dirty blonde tresses stuck to my body, still wet. Sky-blue irises gazed at back at me, my cheeks adorning freckles. My skin tone was quite pale. My body was lean, mostly because I worked out at night and avoided eating too much. Although not as big as Orihime, my breasts were big for a fifteen-year-old girl. Most confused me for a foreign exchange student, seeing as I bore the appearance of an American. But I was actually born in Japan, to American parents.

I dried my hair off before grabbing one of the hair ties on the counter, and then tying my hair back. I allowed my bangs to hang freely, mostly on the right side, with some on the left side.

After that, I left the bathroom and walked down the hallway, finding myself in the living room. There was a couch, with a coffee table sitting in front of it. There was a television, with a PS2 sitting beside it. A shelf filled with DVDs, books, and games was placed near it. There were two, green plants, decorating the room.

I turned to the right and walked through the door, finding the kitchen on the other side.

Orihime was sitting at the table, some strange, pancake-related concoction sitting in front of her. She always cooked strange food. It looked like a pancake with sweet bean paste on it, and strawberries added to the top. I simply crossed the room to one of the counters, fishing a crimson colored apple out of a bowl.

I took a bite from it, chewed it and then swallowed, "Ready for that test, Orihime-chan?"

"M-hm," she took a bite of her own breakfast, and looked at me, "Are you?"

I sighed and shook my head, feeling the dread well up inside of me, "No."

"Well I don't have any sympathy for you," I could see the look of disappointment, "You should study more and play less video games."

"Not happening." I took a few more bites. School was just a bother in my opinion.

Orihime was always pretty ditzy, with me being very similar. But unlike me, she always made good grades. I was just an average student, performing a happy dance whenever I got a B in anything.

I finished my apple, and then left the kitchen. I walked down the hallway and went to the bathroom. There, I brushed my teeth and then returned to the kitchen. Once Orihime was done eating and her dishes were washed, we left the house, locking the door before heading down the street.

Karakura Town, which was a small town placed in the western side of Tokyo was a decent size. Unlike most students, we did not have to take a bus to reach our high school, seeing as our hometown was not that big. I have lived in this small town since…well, since birth. I used to live in another house with biological parents and older sister. But, seven years ago, they died. Well, they did not just die. It was more like, they were murdered. My older sister vanished without a trace. I did not have any other relatives, so I was left all alone.

The police investigated the crime, but found no trace of the killer. So, justice had not been done. Orphaned and alone, I was terrified, unsure of what my future would be like. But then, my friend Orihime came over one day. Her older brother, Sora Inoue was with her. He offered to take care of me, and after being coaxed by my redheaded friend, I found myself accepting his offer. I lived with the Inoue siblings since. I even adopted their last name, seeing as I could not remember mine. In fact, there were a lot of things I could not remember. Sora said that it had something to do with severe mental and emotional trauma, meaning I probably witnessed their deaths first hand.

The sun was blazing hot, the school year just beginning only a few weeks ago.

I followed Orihime, reaching the walls that encased our school after crossing several different streets. I stopped directly outside of the walls, my eyes scanning the area around me. _Hm? What was that? _There was a strange feeling.

"Hinata-chan!"

I jumped, surprised to hear Orihime's voice. I hesitated, and then answered, "Coming!"

For some reason, I always felt as though someone were watching me. Apparently, Orihime felt the same. Told me how the feeling bothered her, but I always assured her that it was nerves.

I followed her into the school grounds. The building was three-stories high, the building being mostly white inside and out. Orihime and I crossed the grounds, which was infested with other students. We entered through the double-doors and began making our way down the hallway.

We climbed the stairs and headed down the next hallway, stopping outside of a specific classroom.

The both of us walked inside, finding other students filling the room.

"Hime-chan!" a high-pitched, female voice shouted with glee.

The two of us turned to face the owner of the voice, finding a familiar person lunging towards Orihime. The girl was around our age, and she wore the standard high school uniform. She had medium length, brown hair with a deep reddish tint. She bore glasses, and short, dark brown irises. Her name was Chizuru Honsho.

Chizuru stopped in mid leap, being kept from embracing Orihime by another friend of ours. This new girl was the same age as we were, her black hair being cut short and spiked into a boyish style. Narrowed, dark brown irises gazed at the girl. She was wearing the full uniform, with the grey jacket over her white shirt. Her name was Tatsuki Arisawa.

"Back off, Chizuru-chan." The black-haired girl growled.

I had not realized it until Tatsuki told me, but Chizuru had a small crush on Orihime. The redhead was oblivious like I had been. Of course, for Chizuru it was a lost cause, seeing as Orihime is straight.

Another girl, by the name of Michiru Ogawa, walked towards us. She had short, light brown hair and dark brown irises. She wore the standard uniform, only without the jacket.

"Morning, Tatsuki-chan, Michiru-chan, and Chizuru-chan." I said, flashing them a small wave.

Chizuru rose to her feet, smiling at me, "Hey there, Hinata-chan. Looking as fine as ever."

"As always," I replied, flipping my blonde bangs in a dramatic fashion. "So Tatsuki-chan, how was your wrestling practice yesterday?"

Tatsuki was a tomboy in every sense of the word. Hair cut extremely short, and she even practiced hand-to-hand combat. She joined the wrestling team, being the only female on it. She made all of those boys seem like little preschool children. Michiru was into collecting dolls, a hobby she started when she was little. She was girly as they come.

I noticed that quite a few of the boys in my class were gathering around one desk, I shot Tatsuki and Chizuru a curious glance.

"Oh, they're showing Ichigo-kun a dirty magazine." Tatsuki replied, shaking her head in disgust.

I rolled my eyes. _Teenage boys are so immature. _"Alright, alright, go away already!" The boys dispersed, only two of the boys remaining beside the desk. Sitting on the chair, was a young, fifteen-year-old boy. He had short, bright orange hair, and serious dark brown irises. His skin was darker then mine. He wore the full uniform, grey jacket lined with crimson included. His name was Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo was far more mature then most of the boys in our generation. He was a talented fighter, and would always look out for others. But he had a horrible temper. He and I were actually good friends, seeing as I went to his house after school everyday. I worked for his father at their family clinic, and I was supposed to report to the clinic after school. I was a little worried about him, seeing as he would argue with himself sometimes.

His whole family was weird, actually. He had two younger sisters, both twins even though they look nothing alike. Yuzu was kind and acted as the mother of the family, doing the chores that the others were too lazy to do themselves. Karen was, well, kind of boring. She was tomboy, and her voice was always flat and without emotion. His father was an enigma all his own. He would always attack Ichigo, literally, when the boy got home. I often watched their fist fights for a few minutes before getting to work. He meant them in a good way…I think. But I could tell that Ichigo was getting sick of his attacks.

They were very kind to me, and even let me stay for dinner. But I would go home to make sure Orihime did not burn the house down while I was away.

Beside his desk stood Keigo Asano, another boy our age. He had medium length brown hair, and dark chocolate brown irises. He wore the standard uniform, excluding the jacket. He was an overly dramatic fellow, and often flirts with anything female. He was lean, and extremely hyperactive.

The other boy was Mizuiro Kojima. He was lean, and bore short, black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore the standard uniform, including the grey jacket. He was a scrawny teen, and extremely sweet.

The five of us moved to our desks, which were placed beside each other.

"Hey."

I paused, and turned to Ichigo, who sat between Orihime and I. Said girl was standing beside my desk instead of sitting at her own. "Yo."

I sat at my desk, pulling my language arts book and notebook out and setting them on my desk.

"Good morning!"

I looked to the door, seeing the new girl standing there. A fifteen-year-old girl was standing there. She was shorter then me, and bore a petite frame. She wore the entire uniform. Medium length, black hair covered her head. Strangely enough, she had dark blue eyes, which was a rarity for Japanese. Her skin was light in tone. She was the new transfer student, named Rukia Kuchiki.

I turned my attention away from her, deciding to listen in on the conversation the others were having. Michiru whipped out a magazine regarding today's hottest celebrities, and was showing it off. Tatsuki was showing a wrestler that she found attractive, while Orihime turned to a page with an actor.

"He's so good looking, and his voice is so beautiful! I loved hearing it when he voiced Cloud from the FF movie!" the redhead squealed with delight.

Chizuru leaned over her shoulder, and turned the page to some female swimsuit model, "Tsunade Souma, the newest model to rise to fame! She's gorgeous!"

"What about you, Hinata-chan?" Tatsuki smiled down at me.

I smiled back at her, "Well," I flipped through the magazine, stopping on a random page, "I think Jin Uzumaki is good looking."

"Good choice." Michiru said, staring at the picture of the Japanese actor with admiration.

Shortly after she said that, our teacher entered the room. Misato Ochi was an unmarried woman, either in her late twenties to early thirties. She tied her long, dark brown hair back. Like most people here, she had dark brown eyes. Her skin was fairly light in tone. Even when not in the gym, she wore crimson colored sweats and a navy blue undershirt. She wore glasses to improve her slightly impaired vision.

"Alright everyone, go to your desks! Come on!"

Students groaned as they sat at their desks, getting ready for class to start. I bid farewell to Orihime as she headed to her own desk, with Tatsuki sitting directly in front of me.

We started with history, something that was fairly easy. Then we moved on to algebra, and after that it was time for chemistry. Gym was next, which we spent most of class working on running. Ichigo and Rukia disappeared for a while during gym class after asking to use the lavatory, and then returned in the middle of fifth period. Once the bell rang for us to leave, I packed my things and followed Orihime to the sidewalk outside of the school grounds.

"See you later tonight, Hinata-chan." The girl said as she began walking away with Tatsuki. The latter was spending the night we us tonight.

Ichigo walked out of the grounds and began heading down the street. I followed him, needing to head to the clinic.

We were both quiet, so I was surprised when Ichigo spoke after walking in silence for a few minutes. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" I jumped and looked at him, then calmed, "No…just bored."

_Just another day of school… _

**And I'm ending this chapter. Now my main OC has been introduced. Please review and I shall update soon…**


	3. Chapter 3

**And here is the next chapter. So, without further adieu…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Chapter 2: Problems **

"_A single rose can be my garden_…

_A friend_, _my world_."

-Leo Buscaglia

Ichigo and I walked to the clinic in silence. We stopped in front of the building, which was a two-story house and clinic built into one. We moved through the walls surrounding the building, and then walked inside of the double doors. Upon entering, I saw a blur flying towards me. There was a loud battle cry, and then Ichigo grabbed the back of my neck, shoving me to the floor. He gripped the blur's ankle, twirled in a circle, and then chucked the man across the front lobby of the clinic.

Isshin Kurosaki landed on the floor with a loud thud, shaking his head and slowly rising to his feet.

He had short, black hair with some hints of grey, and a light beard on his chin. He wore a yellow dress shirt with a black tie, and dark brown pants with matching shoes. A crisp white coat alerted others to the fact that he was a doctor.

"Your improving, my son!" Isshin shouted dramatically, and then lunged at the redhead.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and let up on me, using his hands to block his father's kick, and then delivering a swift punch to the cheek. I slowly stepped away from the two, shaking my head at their ridiculous behavior.

"Good afternoon, Hinata-san."

I found Yuzu Kurosaki standing behind the counter, a soft smile on her face. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved dress with a matching apron, and a white hat with a crimson cross on the front. She bore short, dirty blonde hair and dark brown irises. The girl was around eleven-years-old.

"Hey there, Yuzu-chan. I'll go change in the bathroom." She nodded at me and then returned her attention back to her idiot father and older brother.

I walked down the hallway, coming to the girl's bathroom. There, I dropped by a stall and stripped my school uniform off. I slipped the white dress, apron, and hat on and then placed my other clothes into my bag. Once I was ready, I left the bathroom and returned to the counter.

"So what do I need to do?" Isshin and Ichigo had just finished their little scuffle. Yuzu turned to me, shaking her head as the males finished their argument.

She walked around the counter, "Just take my place while I make dinner for our patients."

"Will do." I walked behind the counter and leaned against it, a yawn escaping my lips as I did so.

The first room one enters in the clinic is the lobby, which was where the front desk was. There was a couch and coffee table, for people who wanted to wait for injured loved ones. Beside the desk was a hallway, which led to the public bathrooms, and then the door that led into the Kurosaki family's home. There was another corridor, which is where the bedrooms for the patients were. As of right now, we had two patients.

Patients that endured far worse were sent to the Ishida's hospital up town, so the patients we had bore simple injuries. One was suffering from a bad case of pneumonia, while the other had two broken legs and a fractured arm.

I did not work with the patients really often, manning the desk most of the time.

Isshin went to go check on our customers, while Karin went to the kitchen to see how Yuzu was doing. The girls looked nothing alike, even though they were twins. Karen had medium length black hair and dark brown irises. She wore the same outfit as Yuzu and me.

Ichigo went to his bedroom, tired after a long day of school. Even more so then usual.

While I was waiting for a customer to show up, Yuzu approached the counter. "Hinata-san," I turned my attention to her. She was holding a plate and a cup of tea, "can you take this to Ani-kun for me? I need to attend to Haruno-san."

"Sure." I took the plate from the young girl and headed down the hallway. I opened the door, and entered the Kurosaki home.

I walked through the living room, finding it completely empty. There was a couch, a television with PS3 beside it, and an assortment of things one would find in a living room. I walked past the kitchen, which was open for anyone to go inside. I continued on, ascending the stairs and coming to another hallway. There were four bedroom doors. One, was Yuzu and Karin's bedroom. Then there was the bathroom. Next was their father's bedroom, and then last was Ichigo's bedroom, near the back.

I stopped outside his bedroom door, and knocked.

"What?"

There was a loud thud, and then another slam. I blinked, starring at the door strangely. Hesitantly, I slid it open and stepped inside. Ichigo's room was pretty clean compared to most. There was a bed, a wide walk-in closet, a nightstand, and a television. There were a few posters on the walls.

Ichigo was standing in front of his closet, a nervous smile plastered on his face.

I cocked my head to the side, "What're you doing?" He was wearing a long-sleeved gray shirt with green lettering on the front, and a pair of baggy dark green pants with white socks.

"Oh nothing," he waved his hands, and chuckled nervously, "Just practicing a little yoga! Ya'know, healthy for the body and mind."

_What a strange boy. _I walked up to him, and handed the plate to him, "Well, here. Yuzu-chan asked me to take this to you."

"Thanks." He took it. There was a strange look on his face, as if he were thinking about something really hard.

I turned to the door, but hesitated, "Something wrong, Ichigo-kun?"

"Hm? N-no. I'm fine." I was not satisfied with his answer, but I left anyway.

I descended the stairs and left the Kurosaki's home, re-entering the clinic. My legs carried me through the torn lobby. I moved behind the desk, my eyes gluing to the spot where the wall was replaced with some kind of paper-like material, to the right of the clinic. I could still remember when I saw it. I was coming here along with Ichigo, and just before we reached the clinic, he told me that a trunk busted a hole in the clinic. I did not believe him until I saw it with my own eyes, only there was no truck. In fact, there was a lack of any parts resembling a vehicle whatsoever. Strange. The accident happened only a day before, so it was very recent.

Even stranger, Isshin said that he and the others had slept right through it. Yuzu and Karin agreed, but Ichigo seemed reluctant to tell me the story. I wondered why.

While I was manning the desk, a man and woman entered the clinic. They were the parents of the little boy who had broken both legs. I led them to his room, having to check and make sure that he was ready for visitors. Isshin was talking to him; he allowed the parents to speak with the nine-year-old boy.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," I looked to Ichigo's father as he called my name, "Could you get another glass of water for Choji-kun?"

I nodded my head, and left the room. I walked back to the Kurosaki home, and dropped by the kitchen. There, I filled a glass with cold water and ice, and then returned to Choji Aburame's room. The boy gladly accepted it, and then I left the room. Yuzu was still in the kitchen, while Karin was taking care of Ino Haruno. The old woman was without any family, and we were beginning to wonder if she would live or not. She must have been in her eighties. I stood behind the counter for another four hours before Isshin appeared, and dismissed me.

"See'ya tomorrow, Hinata-chan." He waved at me as Karin took over Yuzu's position.

I waved back at him, "Goodnight, Kurosaki-sama." I left the clinic and began making my way down the sidewalk.

I wondered how Orihime and Tatsuki were doing as I walked along the streets, heading straight for our house.

I yawned again, a tired expression on my face. _Note to self: do homework earlier and get some more sleep. Staying up late is killing me! At least summer vacation is right around the corner. _I stopped in mid step, when a scream of pain sounded from a house. My eyes flew to the house, finding that it was our house. It sounded like Tatsuki's voice.

"Tatsuki-chan! Orihime-chan!" I sprinted across the street and yard, heading straight into the house.

I ran through the living room and down the hallway, practically slamming into the wall, and then running up the stairs near the back of the hallway. I stopped outside Orihime's bedroom door, and threw it open.

When I ran inside, I nearly screamed.

I stood stock still as I watched the scene unfold before me. There was a giant, demonic creature sitting on the floor. It bore medium length black hair. Its face resembled a sickly white mask, with bulky and strong features. The lips were removed, revealing its pure white teeth for all to see. The sclera of its eyes was a deep black, while the irises were a bright crimson. The human, muscular male torso was the same color as its eyes; claws adorned its hands. There was a gaping hole in its chest, which allowed me to see right through it. The lower part of its body was a dark, navy blue, and resembled a snake's tail.

Tatsuki was pressed against the wall, trying to stay away from the monster. Orihime was lying next to the creature, with a chain extending from her stomach and to…Orihime? I blinked in surprise when I found two Orihimes, only one was conscious while the other had been knocked out.

"Hinata! Run! Run away!" the raven haired teenager cried, "Hurry!" I could see the blood pouring from her shoulder.

Orihime looked at me, a panicked expression on her face, "Hinata-chan!"

She stopped when the creature grabbed Tatsuki, and slammed her against the floor. It was strangling her!

"Tatsuki!" I cried. I was about to run at the monster, but Orihime reached it first, slamming against its arm and breaking its grip. Tatsuki's body convulsed as she gasped for air, backing against the wall again.

I ran past the monster and knelt beside my friend, the redhead joining us soon, "Tatsuki! Tatsuki, can you hear me?"

"What the hell is going on?" she looked at me, fear filling her eyes to the brim, "What's attacking me!? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" Suddenly, she lost consciousness.

Orihime and I exchanged a confused glance, "What does she mean? Can't she see that thing?"

"Dunno." I shrugged.

"_It's no use now…she can't see Orihime-chan nor I._"

I looked up, finding that the monster had spoken. "Why not? And how do you know my name?" That was a good question.

The being hesitated, and then spoke once more, "_That hurts me, Orihime-chan…did you forget my voice? Its me! Don't you remember?_"

"What…are you talking about?" Now that thing mentioned it, the creature did sound vaguely familiar.

It looked at me, and I saw a pair of eyes, normal human eyes, "_You have forgotten me too?_" Its body began to tremble, and its eyes returned to those of a monster. The voice was male, and had a rough sound to it, almost as if it were growling. "_That makes me very sad, Hinata-chan…very, very sad!_" I watched in horror as it raised its claws, and brought them down on Orihime and me. The redheaded teen wrapped her arms around my shoulder, while I covered our heads with mine, just waiting for the monster to strike us. We waited, and yet nothing came.

Out of curiosity, I opened my eyes, and found something very interesting. Ichigo Kurosaki was standing in front of us, wearing old, feudal-style, black Japanese clothes. He was holding a long and very wide sword, using it to parry the monster's blow. "I'm the one your _really _after!" the redheaded male growled, his face twisted with anger. "Leave them alone and fight _me!_" He shoved its hand back, and then moved to a fighting stance with his sword pointed straight at it. Blood dripped to the floor from where the creature had been cut. A black hole ripped open behind it, allowing it to melt into the darkness, disappearing completely. All that was left was a loud, inhuman howl.

"Ichigo-kun?" I cocked my head to the side like a confused puppy, "what are you doing here? And since when could you wield a sword…in fact, where did _get _a sword?"

He turned his attention to us, wearing a shocked expression, "You can see me?"

"Of course we can." Orihime replied, looking as innocent as ever.

"But…how the Hell can you see me?"

My eyebrows narrowed, "Well, what's stopping us?" I watched as his eyes connected with the chain extending from Orihime's chest, and slowly followed it. They grew wide with realization as he saw the other Orihime, lying on the floor. "Ichigo-kun?"

"Then…you two…" he paused, an expression filled with horror etched onto his face.

"_Yes._"

My heart nearly leapt into my throat when I heard that creature's voice again. "_Orihime has become a spirit being…meaning now she's dead!_" The monster slowly materialized by the wall.

"Dead!?" Ichigo and I cried out at the same time. Orihime just sat beside me, looking baffled. Ichigo readied his blade once more, and charged at the creature.

He tried to bring his sword down, but the creature slithered out of his way and moved behind him. There, it grabbed the chain protruding from Orihime's body, and yanked her towards it. The girl yelped, and I lunged towards her, grabbing both of her hands. My plan did not work very well, seeing as it merely pulled me along with her. Once it had Orihime in its grasp, it grabbed me by the shirt and slammed my back against the wall, knocking the wind out of me. I gasped for air, and began kicking my legs.

"_After all these years, you can't even recognize me. After I took of both you and Orihime…you both betrayed me! And your smell…it's so…delicious…_" the creature's mouth began to open while it gazed at me like I was a juicy steak.

Despite barley being able to breath, I managed to scream, "ICHIGO!!!" Almost as if on cue, he swung his sword at the monster, only to be knocked back by its tail. He tried again, but then the creature sent him flying, causing to break through the wall and fall to the ground outside.

"ICHIGO!!!" Orihime and I screamed in unison. The monster was now holding me in midair, still firmly gripping me.

It dropped Orihime, and tightened its claws around me torso, making it harder to breathe. "Let her go!" The creature looked at her, but did not release me. "W-who are you? What do you want!?" She gazed up at the monster's eyes, and slowly, realization dawned on her face, "Is that you…Ani-sama?"

_Sora!? _I turned my eyes towards it, coming to the same realization. "But…you can't be…my brother would never do these horrible things!"

"_I was so lonely…you two were beginning to forget about me…after I died, you and Hinata-chan would always pray for me. I watched you. Your prayers and thoughts brought me happiness…because of you, I was no longer lonely. But after a year had gone by, you two befriended that girl! You two began to pray for me less and less. Soon after you entered high school, you stopped praying for me entirely! I was so lonely…_"

He was angry spirit turned demon. That scenario always happened in movies, and now it was happening to us.

Sora was always such a loving person, and he would never hurt anyone. He never raised his voice to us, nor did he hit us, even when we may have deserved. Well, even when _I _may have deserved. Orihime was always a good girl, so she never did anything really bad. But three years ago, he died in a car accident. That was when I first met the Kurosaki family, when we went to their clinic to see Sora. After the funeral, I had a whim to ask the head of the family if they would hire me, and to my surprise, Isshin did. That same day that Sora died, Orihime began to wearing the bright blue hair clips that he got her. They were shapped like stars. She had an argument with him before he left, and told him that she did not want them because they were childish.

That mindset changed as soon as he passed away.

"Ani-sama…please…" she stopped as Sora dropped me, and then grabbed her shoulders. I landed on the floor with a loud thud, gasping for fresh air. My lungs hurt after being deprived of oxygen for so long, and I was amazed that I managed to stay conscious.

"_Listen to me! If you have even a shred of love for me, you'll do exactly as I say! But first…I shall devour that Soul Reaper…and then…_" he turned his gaze on me, then slithered towards the wall.

I coughed again, finding enough strong to lift my head and look at him, "Sora! Stop it! Don't hurt Ichigo! He didn't do anything wrong! Its not…"

"_Shut-up, Hinata! Its obvious that you are not a normal human, or else you should not be able to see me! And why should you tell me what's right? It was you and Orihime that abandoned me!_" He reached down, and lifted me into the air again. This time, he pressed his thumb against my throat, closing my windpipe.

I choked and gasped, struggling against him as he strangled me. _Please…let go of me! _"Ani-sama, please don't hurt her!" the redhead cried.

"_Shut-up!_" one hand released me, while the other fought to end my life.

"Leave them alone you freak!"

I was so relieved to hear his voice. Sora roared with pain as he paused in his assault on Orihime, and dropped me to the floor. I hit the ground, grasping at my sore throat. Now my lungs and windpipe were throbbing with pain. Ichigo landed on Sora's back, and began impaling his spine with the sword in his hands. He slid down its back, and then sliced the creature's tail off. When Sora tried to reach for Orihime and me, Ichigo countered by taking his hand too.

Ichigo landed beside me as I convulsed, gasping for air. Orihime crawled over to me, "Hinata, are you okay? Hinata!"

I felt a hand on my back, and I looked up at the owner. It was Ichigo. He was stroking my back, and pained expression on his face. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan…I won't let him hurt you. I promise," his expression twisted with anger, and he turned his gaze to the creature, "Tell me, Captain Overbite…do you know why older brothers are born first? Its to protect their younger sisters! And here you are, threatening to kill your own!" He rose to his feet, bearing his blade, "Its sickening!"

"Ichigo!"

I looked up at the bedroom door, finding a familiar person standing there. It was Rukia Kuchiki, only now she was wearing bright yellow pajamas. _Why is she here? _

"_Shut- up! You don't know what your talking about! Orihime belongs to me and me only! I was fifteen when she was born, and when she was only three, I took her away from our parents! They abused us, and I would stand for it no longer! She is more like a daughter then a sister…Orihime!_" Sora extended his only hand, "_come with me now. Back to when it was just the two of us, happy together. I will spare these other souls if you come._"

It hurt, knowing that the kind Sora was so ready to abandon me. I thought he loved me like a brother would a sister…but I was wrong. Either that or he was so blind with sorrow that he _stopped_ caring for me. It was a sign that I was never part of their family, that only Orihime accepted me. I prayed that Orihime would make the right choice. I could hear Rukia whispering to hear, telling her that Sora no longer harbored brotherly love for either of us. There was a pregnant pause, filling the room with tension.

Sora began tossing and jerking around, groaning. "_Orihime…is…MINE!_" his claws flew at us, but Ichigo managed to block the attack.

"Orihime doesn't belong to anyone! Least of all, _you!_" he threw the monster back, causing it fall from the hole in the wall and land outside. Ichigo ran after it. I tried to follow, but I was still too sore to stand. That was fixed when Rukia knelt beside me, and lifted my arm across her shoulders.

"Thanks…" I coughed, my chest heaving painfully.

She smiled at me softly, "No problem." Orihime helped her carry me to the wall, where I saw Ichigo and Sora exchanging blows. Ichigo leapt into the air, his sword raised. He was about to slice Sora's head clean off, but then stopped. He leapt away, a shocked expression on his face. I watched with surprise as Orihime leapt out of her room and sprinted across the yard, wrapping her arms around Sora's head.

His teeth almost sunk into her shoulder, but he avoided landing the blow.

"Its my fault that your like this, Ani-sama…because I begged you not to leave!" An image of a young Orihime sobbing over her brother's dead and bloodied corpse strapped to the gurney. Three years ago. "Yesterday…when that care was about to hit me, you saved me. I have this mark because you pulled my leg to get me out of the way. But then I realized that if I kept depending on you, you'd never be able to rest in peace. If I showed you…" her voice broke, and her shoulders trembled, "…that I was happy, and you didn't need to worry about me or Hinata-chan anymore. You could pass on. I never dreamed that it would make you lonely!" she began sobbing, "I would never want to hurt you like that!"

I stopped praying for him simply because it was unhealthy to hold on to the dead like that. Something I learned after the deaths of my family. I watched as she passed out, too shocked and hurt to go on. The monster's mask vanished, revealing Sora's face. He cried out in pain.

"He didn't become a Hollow by choice." Rukia whispered.

I looked at her, "Hollow? What do you mean?"

"You don't know?" She seemed surprised by my question.

Once Sora regained control of himself, he looked down at his sister, a pained expression on his face. "Orihime!"

"Stay back!" Ichigo was about to lunge at him, but Rukia's voice stopped him.

"It's alright! The chain of fate is still attached to her, so we can return her soul to her body. But I need to treat her, and fast!" She brought to me Ichigo, "Please, take her."

He nodded placed a hand on my back. His other hand pressed itself against the back of my thighs, and then in one swift motion, Ichigo was holding me bridal style. I blushed, allowing my head to rest against his strong chest.

"Sora-san gave those hairpins to her, didn't he?" I looked at Ichigo, nodding my head.

A sigh escaped my throat, causing my chest to throb with pain, "A year before his death, Sora told me how when he was eighteen, he and Orihime-chan ran away. When I asked him about his parents, he told me 'their mother was a whore and their father was a demon. When a child would cry, they would hit it until it stopped'. So he took her away from the pain they caused. And then, he adopted me into his home after my family was murdered…he took care of us…" my voice trailed off. I could feel the tears as they stung my eyes.

I turned my attention back to Sora as he reached towards us, and ripped Ichigo's sword off of his back. "Hey!" he took the blade, and aimed it straight at his head.

"Sora, what're you…!?" I began.

But I was interrupted by Rukia, "Don't stop him!"

"But he's…!" Ichigo tried to speak.

"Exercising and killing a Hollow are two different things. If a Soul Reaper's weapon ends it, then he will be sent to the Soul Society, where he belongs," she looked up at me, a hard look in her eyes, "It must be done."

My face fell, and I turned my gaze to him. Sora smiled softly at me, and gave me a reassuring nod. Just as he was about to impale himself, Orihime's voice stopped him. We both turned our heads towards her. She was lying on her back, with Rukia's hands hovering above her chest. There was a pale green light entering her body. Said girl in yellow was knelt beside her.

"Do you remember the argument…over my hairpin?" she looked at weak and broken. "I said I didn't like it because I thought it looked to childish…I know I hurt your feelings, and you left without saying anything. That was the last time I ever saw you…so now, I want to say what I should have said before you left…" she met his gaze, her eyes shimmering, "Ani-sama…have a good day."

Sora smiled at his younger sister, a relieved expression on his face, "Thank-you…"

I closed my eyes and hid my face in Ichigo's chest just as Sora impaled himself, causing him to explode into small shards of azure light. I had not noticed the tears that streaked my cheeks. Orihime was sobbing as Rukia hugged her, mourning the end of her brother.

"There, your better now," Rukia whispered softly, helping Orihime to her feet, "Let's get you back into your body." She led the redhead into the house, with Ichigo following closely behind. We walked through the living and up the stairs, going straight into Orihime's bedroom.

There, Rukia walked Orihime to her body, and pushed her. The sobbing girl cried out in surprise as she fell backwards, landing inside her body as if hitting the water of a pool. The body immediately regained consciousness the chain receding inside of her. She looked back and forth, a baffled expression on her face. Her eyes were red and puffy after crying.

When they landed on me, she cocked her head to side, "Hinata-chan, why are you hovering in midair? Where did Ichigo-kun go?"

I blinked, "He's right here. Ichigo-kun is holding me."

"Look at me." She turned her attention to Rukia, who was holding a small, hot-pink object in her hands.

I turned my attention to Ichigo, "How come she's see you?"

"Because…eh, its hard to explain. Better question is: how come you _can _see me, yet your still in your body!" I shrugged. When I looked at the others, I saw that Orihime was lying on the floor again, unconscious once more.

"Hey! What did you do!?" Ichigo and I cried.

The raven-haired teen looked at us, "Bring her here." The redhead reluctantly agreed, and set me on the floor in front of her.

I stared at the object in her hand, and then backed away, "That's one of those flashy things those guys in the American movie _Men in Black _used to whip out people's memories! Your going to flash that thing at me, aren't you!?" I watched American movies every now and then, and _Men in Black _managed to make its way onto my favorites list.

"Well, it won't flash at you." Rukia said as she aimed it at my face.

My eyebrows narrowed suspicion, "Then what it is going to do?"

"This."

Smoke exploded in front of my face, immediately causing black blotches to tear at my vision. My mind slowly sunk backwards, falling into the darkness. Soon, I found that I was unconscious as well…

**End of this chapter. Please review and I shall update soon…**


	4. Chapter 4

**And here is the next chapter. Now you get to find out what Hinata thinks happened in the last chapter. This one is going to be really short, so please bear with me. So, without further adieu…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Chapter 3: Busy **

"_A man who won't die for_

_Something is not fit to live._"

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

A groan filled the air. I rolled onto my side, pain ringing through my chest. My eyes opened, my vision blurred. I waited for it to clear, and sat upright. The walls of my bedroom surrounded me. I shook my head, praying that the pounding in my chest would cease. _Why am I so sore? What happened last night? _I slid off of my bed, and slowly hobbled out into the hallway. My legs carried me to Orihime's bedroom. Tatsuki was lying in a makeshift bed on the floor, with a pillow and two blankets. Orihime was sleeping in her own bed. That was not what caught my attention. It was the other thing.

There was a gaping hole in her bedroom wall.

My jaw fell slack, "What the…what happened!?" Almost as if on cue, memories from last night flooded into my head. _That's what happened! _I glared at Orihime's shelf, or the object sitting on it. It was that demonic furbie that she owns…Fluffy. Orihime loved cute things like that, and she ordered that pink furbie with the vibrant blue Mohawk off of the internet.

It was as clear as day. Last night, her furbie attacked Tatsuki, Orihime, and me. It whipped a bazooka out of Orihime's closet, and fired at us, but we dodged just in time. As a result, it blew a hole in the wall. Then it tried to use a knife to stab us, but Tatsuki kicked it across the room, causing it to slam against the wall. That knocked it unconscious. I could not remember anything else.

I stomped across the room, and snatched the furbie off of the shelf. "You fluffy bastard!" I spat. I slammed it against the floor, "Acting all sweet and innocent in the day and evil at night! I've known of your treachery for years! YOU HEAR ME!?"

"Hinata-chan," I looked at Orihime, finding that both her and Tatsuki were awake, "Why are you attacking Fluffy?"

I folded my arms across my chest, "Because Fluffy blasted a hole in your wall and tried to kill us. Don't you remember?"

She looked from me to her bedroom wall, and then to me again. Orihime paused for a second, and then shook her head, "That wasn't what happened. Don't you remember? The Yakuza busted into my bedroom last night, and started firing at us with machine guns! Then they left and we fainted."

"Nuh-uh!" I countered, "It was your damn furbie that almost killed us!"

"You two are crazy," Tatsuki was looking at us as if we had gone insane. She rose to her feet and leaned out of the hole, and then looked at us again, "a toppled tree busted through the wall."

"No it wasn't, it was the Yakuza!"

"I say it was the furbie."

"No, it was a fallen tree!"

The three of us argued over where the hole in the wall came from for about thirty minutes. When Orihime's alarm went off, we realized that we needed to get dressed for the school. So we fought over the shower until I decided that I would take mine later, and quickly changed into my school uniform. I ate an apple, waiting for Orihime and Tatsuki to finish getting ready. Once they were done, I ran to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. After that, we sprinted out of the house, finding a horde of confused neighbors starring at our house.

Orihime explained the situation to them, even though it was actually her furbie, and then we ran to the school.

There, we tried to pretend that everything was normal, until lunch came around. We went to the roof to eat our food. Chizuru, Michiru, and two more girls were there. One of the girls present was Mahana Natsui. She bore short, wavy dark brown hair and eyes to match. She wore the entire uniform. For once, I was wearing the jacket, too. The other was a tall girl on the track team, by the name of Ryo Kunieda. She had long, black hair and dark brown irises. She did not wear the jacket.

None of the girls believed us. I insisted on the evil furbie while Orihime said that it was Yakuza. But Tatsuki remained firm with her tree story. Chizuru thought that it was just our vivid imagination, the others believing Tatsuki over the two of us.

There was no use, seeing as the girls did not believe my furbie story. So, I opted to give up and change the subject.

As lunch ended, we went back to our classroom and continued with the language lab.

The rest of the day flew by like a blur. I had trouble paying attention to class, feeling sore and tired because of that forsaken furbie. I was too sore to even participate in gym practice.

When school was over for the day, I followed Ichigo home, telling him the story of what transpired. He just acted like I had a weird dream. Not even he would believe me. At the clinic, Isshin attacked his son again. It was the usual father-son argument. I ignored them and took over my spot at the desk, a bored expression on my face. I spent two hours and half sitting on the chair behind it, reading a book. Yuzu asked me to take Ichigo's dinner to him again, which I did. Just as I was about to enter his bedroom, I heard a loud thud. When I went inside, I saw that he was standing in front of his closet. Yoga again.

I gave him his dinner and left.

I returned to the desk, only for Karin to ask me to help her with Ino Haruno, who was hallucinating again.

The next three hours were spent helping the old woman remember where she was before Isshin took over my position, dismissing me. I returned home, surprised to see that our neighbors were fixing Orihime's wall.

I went to bed immediately, wishing that the pain in my chest would cease…

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The next day, I got up and got dressed, as usual. Orihime and I ate breakfast, still arguing over whether it was the furbie or the Yakuza that blasted a hole in her wall.

When we finished eating, we left the house and ran to the school.

The pain in my chest was gone, thankfully. So, I spent the day in comfort, simply doing my work as my teacher instructed. Like yesterday, the day passed by in a flash. I was relieved when lunch came around. I went to the roof to eat with the other girls, my food consisting of noodles and rice. I noticed that Ichigo, Rukia, Keigo, Mizuiro, and another boy were there.

The boy was fifteen, although he was taller then a full grown adult. His skin was dark, and his head was covered with short, curly dark brown hair. His eyes were black. The boy's clothes were tight against his body. Like me, he was foreigner. The teenager was of Mexican decent, while I was of American blood. His name was Yasutora Sado, although others called him 'Chad'. It was because someone misread the kanji in his last name, so for some reason, they nicknamed him that.

The day continued to pass by like a blur. I did not know what my friends were talking about at lunch, and I was having difficulty paying attention in gym. Once again, I was relieved when school was over. Ichigo and I walked home together, as usual, and headed to the clinic. When we arrived, I was surprised to see an ambulance stopped in front of it. There was even a small handful of people. I walked inside, and found Yuzu and Karin running back and forth, desperately trying to help our patients.

_Looks like an all-nighter to me. _I went to his office, finding Isshin arguing with someone on the phone. He was trying to get them to transfer patients to the main hospital, but they refused him. He slammed the phone on the receiver, and ordered me to help with Haruno. When Ichigo offered to help, Isshin refused him, so he just sat in the hallway like a dejected puppy.

I ran to the old woman's room, trying to help her. I was surprised when she began to lost consciousness, and called for Isshin. When he arrived, he tried CPR to help her after realizing that her heart was failing.

My heart sank as the old woman passed away. I was trying to not to cry as the guilt tore at my soul. Isshin assured me that it was not my fault, and then led me out of the room.

He let me go home early after that, but I refused to leave until we regained control at the clinic. Ichigo was called in to help this time. The two of us worked together to help another patient that arrived at the clinic, bleeding out of their chest after being in an accident. I placed my hands on the person's chest once we got them to a bed in one of the rooms, trying to stop the bleeding until Isshin arrived. Ichigo helped me by pressing his hands onto mine, adding extra pressure to stop the bleeding.

A few minutes later, Isshin arrived and took control of the situation. Yuzu ran into the room and helped her father treat the injured person while Ichigo and I left the room. Blood always made me feel sick.

I dropped to the floor and laid my head on my knees, feeling sick to my stomach.

A few minutes later, I learned that Isshin was successful in saving the patient. Just as he finished, Karin appeared, aiding an injured Chad. I was shocked to see that his shoulder was wounded, and found myself patching the guy up.

The rest of the night was spent taking care of others. I must have passed out eventually, because when I woke up, I was leaning against the front desk of the clinic, sitting in the chair.

I did not even bother to eat or change. I simply sprinted out of the clinic after receiving permission from Isshin, who was awake, and ran to school.

My life was becoming nothing but a blur. The next day was boring, and I was having trouble paying attention. I think it was because I was worried about Ichigo. He and Rukia Kuchiki never came to school. Chad never came either. After school, I say goodbye to Orihime, and sprinted back to the clinic. It was still busy, although it was under control now. I immediately went to work, trying to help Yuzu and Karin with the injured patient that Isshin saved yesterday…

**Like I said, short chapter. This one was filler. Please review and I shall update soon…**


	5. Chapter 5

**And here is the next chapter. Sorry if the last chapter was not very good. This one is longer and far more detailed. Also, thank-you for reviewing…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Please enjoy, no flames, but I will accept constructive criticism. **

**Chapter 4: Poltergeist **

"_A poet, before anything else, is _

_A person who is passionately in love with words_."

-W.H. Auden

_Hinata…Hinata…_

_My body was cold. I hugged myself, trying to keep the freezing temperature from devouring me._

_Hinata…wake-up…Hinata…_

Mom? _I waited to hear the voice again. But what I heard surprised me. _

"Hinata!"

_The heck? That sounds like… _My eyelids opened, and I found Isshin Kurosaki leaning over me. I sat up quickly, narrowly avoiding whacking my forehead against his. "Mr. Kurosaki, I-I…" I looked around, about to ask him why he was in my bedroom. But I soon realized that I was not in my room. I was lying on the couch in the clinic's front lobby. Isshin was dressed in his usual attire, a smile on his face.

"You fell asleep at the clinic last night again." He explained as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I rose to my feet, feeling embarrassed, "I'm sorry! I'm _so_ sorry! You can dock my pay for staying here two nights, and I'll just be on my way!"

"No need to worry," the middle-aged man chuckled, shaking his head, "You've been working so hard lately…how about you stay for breakfast? Yuzu washed your uniform for you last night. If you want, you can go take a shower and get ready for school here."

I sighed relief, not really wanting to run all the way back home, and for the fact that my uniform was already washed. "Thank-you, Mr. Kurosaki."

"My pleasure!" he sang, stepping out of my way as he did.

Once everything was said and done, I trudged through the clinic and down the hallway. I entered the Kurosaki home, and walked up the stairs. I wandered into the bathroom, and flipped the lights on. _I should repay them and work overtime for a year or something. I mean, Mr. Kurosaki hired me into his family clinic, and I've been using the place as an Inn for two nights. Now I'm getting ready for school here. I owe them a year's paycheck for this! And I bet Orihime is getting worried too… _

I knew that I was overreacting, but I could not help it. Guilt would grip my heart if others spent their money on me or helped me in any way.

I closed the door and stripped my other uniform off, stepping into the shower. I turned the scalding hot water on, allowing the grime that had accumulated to wash away. I grabbed the shampoo and washed my hair, then used conditioner. Last was the body wash.

After I was cleaned, I stepped out of the shower. I was reluctant to borrow a towel, thinking that it was rude. But they did say I could use the shower, so I guess that that meant taking a towel was acceptable. I dried myself off and turned to the door, thinking my uniform would be there. It was not. _Crap. _Wrapping the towel around my torso, I opened the door just enough to stick my head and the upper half of my torso out.

Big mistake. I stopped in mid stride when I found Ichigo standing in front of the door, wearing nothing but his pajamas.

I could feel my cheeks heating up. "I-Ichigo…uh…!" I hung my head in embarrassment.

He was just as surprised to see me, "Um…hi, Hinata…uniform?" He walked into the bathroom, his eyes still focused on me. Without looking up, I nodded. There was a tap on my shoulder, causing me to glance up. He was holding my clothes out to me, blushing slightly. In his hands he held my school uniform and certain undergarments, ones that I did not recognize.

I took them quickly and held them close to myself, "T-thanks."

"No prob." He massaged the back of his neck, keeping his eyes glued to the floor.

An awkward silence.

I promptly closed the bathroom door after regaining myself. _Well, it's official. I'm a dumbass. _I removed the towel and hung it on the back of the door, and then quickly changed into my uniform. I dried my hair and brushed my teeth, then tied my hair back, leaving only my bangs to hang freely. Once I was finished, I gathered my clinic uniform and turned on my heel.

Ichigo was standing in the hallway when I opened the door. I stepped aside, allowing him to enter the room. Awkwardly, I ran from the bathroom, making my way down the hallway and stairs. _I'll just escape through the… _I stopped when a hand landed on my shoulder, scaring the life out of me.

Isshin Kurosaki was laughing loudly as he turned me around, and started walking me towards the kitchen, "That kitchens this way, Hinata."

"But I couldn't possibly…" I was over the whole 'embarrassment over people helping me thing', and more focused on 'escape before the family realizes that their son saw me in the nude'. Although the redhead did not see anything, either way, I was naked. That was embarrassing enough. I stopped arguing when he shoved me inside. Karin and Yuzu were at the table, eating their breakfast. I joined the younger females, who greeted me as I sat down. Yuzu got up and fixed me a plate, then continued eating. "Thank-you." I picked my chopsticks up and began eating the rice.

"No problem." Yuzu replied, smiling at me.

It was not long before a fully dressed Ichigo appeared. He was not wearing a jacket, but he was wearing a short-sleeved white dress-shirt, with a black undershirt. He sat at the table and began eating his own breakfast, which was already waiting for him.

"So he finally decides to join us!?" Isshin shouted, running into the kitchen. "You're late! I thought I taught you better, Ichigo!" I was expecting another fistfight, but nothing happened. He stomped up to the table, grabbed his chair, which was between me and Ichigo, and pulled it away. To my surprise, he 'subtly' scooted my chair and plate closer to his son, and then sat between Karin and me.

"So what?" the redhead groaned, eating his rice and vegetables.

I was silent as I finished, wondering why Isshin wanted sit near his daughters so badly. After clearing my plate, I rose from my seat. "Excuse me. Thank-you very much for your hospitality. I'll be going now," I grabbed my plate from the table and walked across the kitchen, placing my dishes in the sink. I turned and headed towards the door. "Bye for now."

"Hold up," I was about to leave, but Ichigo's voice caused me to stop. He set his dishes in the sink and approached me, "I'll join you."

A blush crept onto my cheeks, "S-sure."

Ichigo and I left the kitchen, making our way through the living room and into the clinic. We crept through the medical facility, trying to keep our footsteps from echoing off of the floors and waking the Kurosaki's patients up. How could that floor make so much noise? We picked the pace up when we were safely outside, walking along the concrete sidewalk. Cars zipped by, determined to reach their destination. Early risers walked by us, either going to school or work. Some were out jogging. The sun was almost over the horizon, the golden sky turning a vibrant blue. It was a beautiful sight.

"Uh, hey." I jumped at the sound of his voice.

Without bothering to look at him, I replied, "What?" My voice sounded more agitated then I actually was.

"Um…" Ichigo scratched the back of his neck, looking a little hesitant, "…sorry I, uh…it's just, Dad asked me to give it to you, and Yuzu and Karin refused to, even though it wasn't appropriate…so…sorry."

One of my eyebrows rose. _Why wouldn't his sisters do it? Asking him to was not very appropriate. _"I-its fine. I'll live." _Awkward much. _

Silence devoured the two of us once again. All I could hear were our footsteps mingling with the steps of various pedestrians, and the sounds of cars and others speaking. We were passing a streetlight when Ichigo came to a sudden stop, looking at it. I followed his gaze, finding a glass vase full of flowers.

It was knocked over, causing the clear water to spill onto the concrete. Beside the vase stood a little girl. Her medium length, light brown hair was tied into pigtails. She bore dark brown irises, and she wore a red stripped, white skirt that almost went to her knees. Sandals covered her feet. For some reason, I could have sworn that I saw right through her.

"Hey," Ichigo approached the little girl, kneeling beside the light post and resetting the vase, "Did those idiots knock it over again?"

She nodded, "_Yes._" Her voice seemed to echo.

Ichigo glanced back and forth, "They're not around. Damn."

"_It's alright. I'm sure they left because of what you did last time,_" the little girl said, smiling up at him, "_thank-you for resetting my vase again._"

His lips curled into a small smile, "No prob."

I jumped when the little girl vanished into thin air. Ichigo looked at me, remembering that I was there. I pointed at the vase, my hand trembling, "Did that little girl just vanish into thin air?"

"You could see her?" he wore a strange expression. I nodded. The teenager's eyes narrowed slightly, "Oh…um, it's no big deal. Let's go."

It was obvious that he was not in the mood at answer any questions, so I went on without a word. I was a little shaken by what I just saw. The two of us made it to school within the next few minutes. I followed Ichigo down the hallways and into our classroom. Orihime, Tatsuki, Chizuru, Michiru, Ryo, and Mahana were waiting for me. Ichigo bid farewell to me and went to join his friends.

"Hey, Hinata," Tatsuki looked from to the redheaded male, and then to me again, "why did you walk home with Kurosaki?"

I walked across the classroom with my friends behind me, setting my stuff on my desk, "I fell asleep at the clinic again. Busy night."

"Really?" Orihime asked, looking a little disappointed.

I turned my attention to her, "What did you think happen?"

She cupped her hand over her mouth, so that she could whisper her words to me. "I thought the Yakuza tried to finish what they started."

"It was _not _the Yakuza!" I growled, "It was your furbie! I keep telling you that that thing is pure evil."

Mahana rolled her eyes, "Not _this _again."

"They're never going to give up on this, are they?" Michiru whispered to the other, who merely shook her head.

I heard a chuckle come from beside me, and turned to the source. I caught Keigo pointing at me while whispering to Ichigo, causing me to feel a little self-conscious. _What are they talking about? _"We're not like that." The redhead groaned, as if he had to repeat that sentence several times.

"Okay everyone, pipe down!" My friends went to their desks as our teacher entered the room. I plopped into my own seat, waiting for class to start. _I'll never be able to get over this morning… _

Paying attention to class was a challenge. I was still embarrassed about what happened this morning, and Keigo kept snickering and looking from me to Ichigo. Different theories flew through my head at once, such as: did he tell his friends? Were they making fun of me? Or were they assuming that he and I was an 'item'? I was about to rip my hair out by the time third period arrived. It was around that time that Rukia Kuchiki decided to join us at school.

"Good morning everybody!" the raven-haired girl sang in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Keigo smiled at her with a dreamy expression, "Aw, our sweet little flower has finally come to brighten this dull day." He sighed.

"Your pretty late today Rukia," Mizuiro said as he rose form his desk. "That's not like you."

We had five minutes between each period, so the teacher was not in the room. Rukia was lucky.

"Um, sorry," she walked up to Ichigo's desk. He stood, looking a little annoyed, "I need to steal Ichigo for a sec."

The redhead's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "What do you want? If you want to talk, then we can right here." My eyes widened as Rukia punched him in the gut, and started dragging the disoriented male out of the room.

"She…just hit him, right?" Mizuiro was just as surprised as I was. _How dare she? She can't just hit someone like that! I-it's… _

"That little…" I ground my teeth slightly.

Chizuru grinned at me goofily, "Is someone getting jealous?"

"_Jealous!? _I think not!" My friends were gathered around my desk, all of them grinning at me. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at from her, eyebrows knitted together. "Why would I be jealous?"

Mahana giggled, "Someone's got the hots for Kurosaki!"

I glared at her, "How can you just assume that I like him? I'm mad because Kuchiki just punched him for no reason!"

"And you're jealous that she's alone with him, and your not. Plus, you're worried about your _honey's _wellbeing." The brunette continued, flashing me a silly smile.

I had to keep myself from kicking her in shin, "Whatever…" A few seconds later, the teacher arrived and started third period. My friends moved to their individual seats, all of them snickering as they did. I tried to ignore the looks they gave me as class went on, desperate to sprint out of room and hide under a rock, never to come out again. I was a little relieved when it was time for lunch.

Tatsuki and Orihime immediately moved their desks so that I was sitting with them, while I checked my bag. _Oh yeah, I didn't get to-what's this? _I pulled a small pack out of my bag. I checked the tag on it, seeing that it was from Yuzu. A small smile curled at my lips. _Thanks, Yuzu. _

"Hey Hinata," I turned my attention to Tatsuki, "Why were you getting all defensive a while ago?"

A sigh escaped my lips, "Not this again."

"Just hear me out!" the raven-haired teenager said as she sat down, pulling her lunch out of her schoolbag, "Ya'know, if you like Kurosaki, then that's only natural. I mean, I'm sure you've had plenty of quality time with him over the last three years since you started working at the clinic. That means you two would have had time to bond."

I opened the package, finding my favorite noodles and fried rice, "I know, but…I don't like him that way. We're just friends."

"I see…" Tatsuki looked at Orihime, who was sitting on the other side of her, "So what did you bring for lunch?"

The redhead smiled, "A loaf of bread and red sweet bean paste! Now I can make my own bean buns."

Tatsuki and I laughed at our redheaded friend. She had such strange taste in food. "That's interesting. Fortunately, my lunch is a little more ordinary." The raven-haired teen took a bite out of a rice ball.

"Hey, Hime-chan," I looked up from my noodles, finding Chizuru standing there, "Can I eat with you?"

The redhead took a bite out of her bread, swallowed, and smiled, "Okay."

Chizuru paused, and then randomly hugged Orihime around the shoulders, causing me to jump slightly. I hated it when people did spontaneous things like that; I was always startled. "That's so cute! You bite into an entire loaf of bread and then smile with crumbs all over your mouth!" she shouted in one breath, then gasped for air.

I simply shook my head, "Chizuru, you are so weird sometimes," I took a bite of my rice, noticing that not a single one of them said anything. When I looked up, I found that everyone in the entire classroom was staring at me in utter shock. One of my eyebrows arched, "What? Did I say something funny?" I turned around, and nearly jumped out of my skin.

To be honest, I was at a loss for words. At that very moment, Ichigo Kurosaki was crouched on the third story windsill, smiling at us like an excited child. I was sitting right in front of the window, so I had the perfect view of him. He grabbed the handle and opened the door, sticking his head inside once it was possible.

"'S'cuse me, this is the ninth grade class group three, right?" He glanced back and forth, curious about the room.

I simply stared at him in shock, "Uh…yes?" _Wait, shouldn't he already know that? I mean, this is class. You'd think he would be able to recognize his classmates after spending a year with us. _Guess not.

"Oh, that's good," Ichigo slid into the room, stepping onto the back of my chair. I gazed at him in amazement, wondering how he even got there in the first place, "I was lost for a bit." All of the students crowded around my desk, starring at him with the same expression that was on my face.

Tatsuki pointed at him, holding her arm out in front of Orihime, "W-wait a sec, how the Hell did you get up there!?"

That was my question. Fortunately, he answered. "What do you mean 'how'? I jumped. You saw me, didn't you?" He chuckled, "Pretty rad huh?"

"I bet he crawled over here from the classroom next door!" a boy shouted from beside me.

"No way! I saw him jump!" another called from across the room.

Ichigo was looking around the room, like someone trying to decide which steak he should choose. He stopped in search, smiling like he found the Holy Grail, and leapt over my head. He landed on the desk in front of me, kneeling in front of Orihime. I watched as he grabbed her hand, massaging it slightly with his other palm, "I don't believe we've met," he speaking in a very soft tone. His voice sounded different. "Would you do me the honor of telling me your name?" He leaned down and kissed the back of her hand.

I had an urge to slap Ichigo across the cheek, hard enough to send him sailing right out the window. My fingers closed into a fist, causing my nails to dig into my palms. _THAT BASTARD! H-he…he…GAH!!! _I could almost sense the crimson aura that surrounded my body, like a vengeful flame ready to burst. Some of the boys near me slowly inched away, starring at me with fear. The girls gasped at his daring move, while Tatsuki caught him in a headlock and yanked him back.

"Ichigo! What the Hell do you think your doing!?" she shouted, glaring at him fiercely.

He looked up at her, a curious expression on his face, "Hey your pretty cute yourself now that I get a good look at 'ya." With that, he planted a kiss on her cheek. Now I wanted beat him to death with a chair _and_ throw him out a window.

Tatsuki beat me to it. She jerked away from him, and using her incredible strength, lifted a desk above her head and chucked it at him. Ichigo dodged it just in time, allowing it to break through the glass window. She lifted another desk up, roaring like a madwoman.

"You son of a bitch! DIE!!!" she threw another desk at him, causing the taller human to duck and move across the room.

Ichigo was starring at her as if she were being ridiculous. My fellow classmates huddled up near the back, gazing at Tatsuki in horror. "What's wrong with you? All I did was kiss you on the cheek; it's not like you're in grade school or something."

"SHUT-UP!!!" She grabbed a chair and charged at him, tossing it when she was close enough. Ichigo narrowly avoided being hit with it, landing on top of another desk. Tatsuki ran up to him, about to drop kick him while he was sitting, only stop when a familiar voice entered the room.

"Stop right there!" I looked to the door, finding Rukia standing there. Her expression was serious and determined. The redhead gazed at her with fear, before attempting to sprint towards the window. "Ichigo, look out!"

_Huh? _I followed him with my eyes, shocked when I saw another Ichigo leap from the yard, landing on the windsill. My jaw fell. _TWO ICHIGOS!? What the Hell is going on!? _The second Ichigo was wearing old, black Japanese clothes, with a long sword strapped to his back. He entered the classroom, glaring angrily at the normal looking one, "No place left to run."

The normal Ichigo grinned evilly, and then thrust his leg at the other. The strange looking Ichigo caught his foot, "Hey you…I mean me, why the Hell are you doing this?" The other responded by kicking him in the face. I watched as the normal Ichigo began beating the strange looking Ichigo to a pulp.

"Why is he kicking the air like that?" a girl asked.

I looked at my classmates, "The air? You mean you can't see that there are two Ichigos?" They looked at me as if I had grown a second head. _They can't see the other Ichigo, but I can. Why? _

The one that was dressed in a school uniform finished his assault by kicking the other Ichigo hard enough to send him plowing through the desks, slamming into the wall behind me. "Is it a poltergeist!?" Angrily, I stomped up to the normal Ichigo and grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing!? Stop beating yourself up!" I knew how ridiculous I sounded, but it was the truth.

The normal Ichigo's eyebrow rose, "You can see him?" I nodded, and a wide grin appeared on his lips. "So you're spiritually aware? Sweet."

"Hey!" we looked at the other Ichigo, who rose to his feet and unsheathed his sword, "Give my body back, _now!_"

The normal one continued to grin, "As if you'll risk damaging your own body."

"I'll take a chance!" The redhead prepared to lunge at him. There was something familiar about this scenario.

I yelped when I felt something wrap around my waist, and then something else press against my legs. I fell forward, stopping so that I was facing the floor. "You won't if I have a human shield, now will you?" _What? _He turned and began running towards the window.

"What're you doing!? HEY!" I struggled against him, but Ichigo's grip was far stronger then me.

"I'm jumping out of the window." He said as if it were obvious.

I sighed, "Oh…" it took a full second for his words to completely register in my head, "…wait, WHAT!?" Too late. Ichigo leapt out of the window, his arm still curled around me. A scream ripped from my throat as the wind whipped around us. _I'M GONNA DIE!!! _

The surprises did not end there. Ichigo landed on the concrete ground below us perfectly, as if it were a breeze for him. He glanced up at the classroom above, grinning as he took off running towards the entrance and exit of the school grounds. I cried out as he sped away, running faster then it a normal human should have been able to. _No way! This isn't Ichigo! Ichigo would never do something like this, and even his voice is different! Who is this!? Was that guy back at the school the real Ichigo? _Honestly, I was scared. I was being held hostage by some inhuman copy of Ichigo.

The strange boy skidded to a stop in the middle of the road at least a mile away from the school. Both of his hands gripped my body, and I yelped as he placed me on his back. "Hold on!"

"Hey wai-TRUCK!" Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around the boy's waist and latched onto his shoulders with my arms, digging my face into the back of his neck. A truck was heading straight for us! The boy chuckled as his feet propelled us into the air, soaring right over the large vehicle.

He landed on the ground behind the truck, and then leapt into the air again. I cried out as we fell to the ground, and then flew upwards once more. "YA!" He landed, and then leapt again, "ALRIGHT! THIS IS GREAT!" He looked around as we flew through the air, "Aw man, everybody's watching me! And they're in awe!"

That was the truth. Innocent pedestrians were starring at us, their mouths almost hitting the ground. The guy could leap higher then a normal human. I spoke without opening my eyes. "It's kind of hard not to when you see a redheaded guy soaring through the air with a frightened girl clinging to his back! Why did you kidnap me anyway!?"

"Well," he paused as he hit the ground, and then took flight once more, "I guess its because you'd understand me more then the others."

My grip on him tightened, "What do you mean?"

"You're spiritually aware, right? So that means that you understand my world more then those guys."

This caught my attention. "Spiritually aware? What're you talking about?"

"It's kinda obvious. You can see spirits, things that normal people can't. You could see that Ichigo guy, right?"

He had a point. "Yeah…but…"

"That was his spirit, and this is his body. I'm actually a modified soul, also called a mod-soul. I have the power to inhabit people's bodies and strengthen them, so I can combat Hollows."

"Hollows?" He was not making any sense.

The guy went on, landing on a fence. He began leaping around on it like an excited child. I listened as he went on, as if I had not spoken, "I've heard that mod-souls have all kinds of special abilities! I'm so glad that my ability let's me stand out in the crowd!" With that, he took flight once more, "YA!!!" He flew over what seemed to be a concrete park reserved for a gym class. I realized that we were at middle school in Karakura Town.

"Hm? I wonder what they're up to." I watched as he landed on a wooden fence, sitting behind a trio of boys.

I listened closely to what they were saying. It seems as though they were skipping class, opting to play video games rather then participate in gym class. _So immature. _One of them was complaining about how the character they created in a game would not cooperate. In the end, he carelessly deleted it, laughing as he decided to make something better. A little cruel, but it was just game data. I began to panic a little when the fence started shaking, and the guy who was kind enough to give me a piggyback ride started growling like a wild dog.

He dropped to the ground behind them, still growling furiously. "Hey…what're you…?" I realized that he was about to drop kick the one that deleted his character. "No stop!" The kids cried out in fear as he was about to land the blow.

I knew that in my current position, I would not be able to help them. Thankfully, my prayers were answered when that Ichigo adorned in black appeared, blocking his kick.

"Ichigo!" I shouted, happy to see him again. The guy I was riding on leapt away from Ichigo, chuckling at his irritated expression.

The redhead glanced over the boy's shoulder, "Did he hurt you?" I shook my head, seeing the relief in his eyes. From the look on his face, he seemed to realize something, "So, you can see me?"

"Uh yeah. Especially since your right in front of me." Why were people asking me that question?

I quickly realized that the three kids could not see Ichigo, but the guy I was and I could. Rukia ran up behind us, and she seemed to be capable of seeing him, too. I was about to jump off of his back, but the boy grabbed my shoulder, "Your not going anywhere. Remember, you're still my hostage."

"B-but-hey!" The guy lunged at Ichigo with me still on his back, and began kicking at him. The latter dodged his attacks, leaping into the air to avoid the boy as much as he could. He landed behind him, causing the boy to turn so that he was facing him. "Ichigo, help me!" I begged, not wanting to be involved in a confrontation.

His eyebrows knitted together, "Just give me a sec! If I stay calm, I'll be able to predict all of his moves, and you'll be free in no time."

Despite his words, the guy leapt into the air, earning a shriek from me, and soared towards Ichigo. His foot extended, but the latter slid out of the way just in time. The unknown boy slid to a halt on the ground, with me clinging to him for dear life. The boy ran at Ichigo again, creating a series of kicks and punches as he did so. Ichigo slid behind us. I yelped when I felt a pair of hands grip my waist and yank me backwards, causing me to slam into chest. The other redhead skipped away, growling over losing his hostage.

He took his chance to flee onto the rooftops beyond the fence; moving faster then he would have if I was still on his back.

I looked up, finding Ichigo staring at me. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"N-no." I shook my head. I blushed when his arms tightened around my waist.

There was a loud ding that made me jump, "Ichigo! I got another reading on a Hollow!" Rukia shouted, looking at what appeared to be a pager.

"But…" the male tried to protest.

"Come on!" There was no room for argument.

Ichigo released me, pausing to loom at me, "Stay here, okay?"

"Alright." I ran behind a tree, concealing myself. Rukia and Ichigo quickly evacuated the grounds. I watched as the children's teacher came, reprimanding her students. She never even noticed me. I sighed, sitting on the ground behind the tree. The teacher ordered her students to clean up as punishment for skipping class. After leaving, the kids went to the tool shed nearby, and began gathering their supplies. They were complaining about being punished for being idiots.

I rose to my feet, about to reprimand them myself. They saw me, recognizing me as the girl who was riding on that boy's back.

"Hey, you guys should stop playing games and just do as you're…hm?" I had an urge to turn around. I followed my urge, wishing I had not when I did.

A scream ripped from my throat as soon as I saw it. There was a giant monster resembling a hideous centipede hovering behind me, wearing an ivory mask. It was about to chomp down on me, but something shoved me right into the middle school kids, knocking all four of us to the ground.

When I looked up, I found that it was Ichigo's body. "It's that high school student from earlier!"

"Hey you," I shouted, rising to my feet, "Give Ichigo's," then I remembered the monster and turned my attention to it, "What the Hell is that thing!?"

"Explain later!" the guy shouted as he charged at the cackling monster. The latter sent a tentacle flying at him, slicing into his shoulder. Blood spurt from the wound as he got to his feet. The trio of kids screamed like little girls and fled from the scene, while I merely stood there, shaking like a leaf in a wind storm.

I regained my senses and ran over to the redhead, kneeling beside him, "Are you okay?" He was breathing heavily.

"_How dare you interrupt my lunch? And we haven't even been introduced yet._" A tentacle flew at us, causing the male to scoop me into his arms and leap from danger's path. A tentacle came back around, hitting the boy in the shoulder. He landed on the ground, and curled around me, as if to protect me from that thing. _What's with this sudden change? _

When the blow never came, we both opened our eyes.

Ichigo was standing in front of us, with half of the tentacle lying below him in a puddle of crimson liquid. In his hands he was holding a sword.

"Hey…what did you help us?" the boy asked, as if it were not obvious.

Ichigo stomped up to him, grabbed me, and ripped me from his arms. He set me on the ground, glaring at the boy dressed in the uniform, "I saved your sorry ass 'cause your in my body! Do you have any idea of what you just did to my shoulder!?" He grabbed the front of his shirt, shaking his look-alike, "If you can't fight a Hollow then just stay back, alright?"

"What's your problem?" the weaker male shouted, "I had to fight him because you were late! If I didn't, then your little girlfriend and those kids would'a been dead meat!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Ichigo spat, almost ready to punch him. That hurt a little for him to say it, but it was the truth. Can not dismiss reality. "And aren't you supposed to be some badass mod-soul?" I slowly backed away as the monster rose upwards.

"Uh…guys? Save the arguing for later, please?"

The boy kicked the Hollow in the forehead as it lunged at them while Ichigo sliced it open. It leapt backwards, howling in pain. The strange boy sprinted across the grounds, leapt into the air, and plowed his foot into its back. I watched as it completely disintegrated. He was about to fall off of the ledge behind him, but Ichigo sprinted across the grounds and caught his foot.

I noticed that the kids and their teacher were coming, so I quickly joined the duo, hiding behind a nearby tree. Such a convenient plant…

**Ending this chapter. Please review and I shall update soon…**


	6. Chapter 6

**And here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Please enjoy, no flames, but I will accept constructive criticism. **

**Chapter 5: Explanations **

"_In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe_

_And enough shadows to blind those who don't_."

-Blaise Pascal

Once the students and their teacher had left, Ichigo pulled his clone onto higher ground. It was at that moment I realized that we were standing on the roof. _When did I get up here? _I left the tree and moved to sit beside the look-alike, who was sitting on the ground in front of the railing. He looked like a nervous child.

"Are you alright?" I asked, kneeling beside him. He nodded.

Ichigo moved to stand on the other side of him, "Why did you save those kids. I thought you hated them."

"Its too hard to explain," he sighed, shaking his head, "If I didn't help those kids, then your girlfriend and all three of them would have been killed."

I jumped when the real Ichigo punched the fake on the head, "She's _not_ my girlfriend!"

"Ow!" he stroked his head, narrowing his eyes slightly, "Anyway…right after I was created, the Soul Society sent out an order. They said that all mod-souls were to be disposed of. So the very day after I was born, the Soul Society gave me a death sentence!"

I had no idea what he was talking about, but it still saddened me to hear that. "I waited…I trembled with fear inside that pill, just waiting to die. Day after day, I watched helplessly as the others were disposed of one-by-one. But I was lucky. I was shipped out with a load of goods by mistake, but I've always thought that one day, I would be discovered and then executed."

"I had plenty of time to think about how things should be," he rose to his feet, and turned so that he was leaning on the railing. Ichigo and I joined him, engrossed in his story. "And do you wanna know what I think?" That was a rhetorical question, "I decided that no-one has the right to take another life," he gestured to himself, a look of desperation in his eyes, "I exist, so I should have the right to live my life the way I want to, just like everyone else!" His face dropped to the ground, and he sighed again, "So I refuse to take a life."

His speech was so beautiful. I almost wanted to hug the poor boy. _That's not what he was thinking when he was about to drop kick that kid's brain onto the pavement. _But the new question was: what on God's green earth is he talking about?

"That speech was…touching, but," my eyebrows knitted together, "What're you talking about?"

"That's an explanation saved for another day, 'lil lady."

All three of us turned around, finding a strange man standing before us. And he had comrades with him as well. He appeared to be in his late twenties to early thirties. He bore short, messy platinum blonde hair. His chin was adorned with stubble. I could not make out his eyes, seeing as they were shadowed by a white hat on his head, stripped with dark green. He wore an old style, dark green Japanese clothing with a long, black jacket billowing around him, and wooden sandals on his feet. He was carrying a cane in one hand.

Behind him stood a tall, burly man with deeply tanned skin. He long, black hair was tied into several long braids, and he bore a mustache. Glasses covered his eyes. He wore a form-fitting white t-shirt, dark green pants, and a black apron with a golden logo on it. His arms were folded over his chest.

Two children stood in front of him. One was a little boy, no older then nine or ten years old. He had short, bright cherry red hair and dark blue irises. He wore a baggy white t-shirt and blue-jeans that were folded up, revealing his lower legs and sandals.

The last was a little girl, who may have been three years older then the redhead. She had medium length black hair, tied into pigtails with one bang forking off into two hanging in the center of her face. She wore a depressed expression, and had light blue eyes. A white t-shirt with the name 'Urahara's Store' printed in pink kanji on the front. She wore a long, pink and white skirt and sandals as footwear.

"So we finally found you," he approached the unknown boy, "and your all beat up and worn out. All that trouble for nothin'." He aimed the butt of the cane at the boy's head, and then propelled it straight through his skull. I watched as a vibrant green bead hit the ground, and the redhead fell backwards, lifeless.

The blonde scooped the bead into his index finger and thumb, "Mission accomplished. Let's go."

"Huh?" I ran towards him as he and the strange group behind him began walking towards the exit of the roof. "Wait!" I grabbed the man's sleeve, causing him to look at me, "What're you going to do with him?"

The blonde looked at me, almost apologetically, "Sorry, Hinata. But I've gotta destroy him."

"But that's not fair! What did he do to deserve to die?" I was about to reach for the small pill, determined to save the guy. So what if he kidnapped me and traumatized three kids for life? That did not mean he deserved a death sentence.

"The Soul Society demands it kid." His voice was lazy as he spoke, as if he did not care.

My eyes narrowed dangerously, "Screw them! I don't know who the Soul Society is, but they have no right to sentence someone to death just because they feel like it! I won't allow it!"

"So are you going to stand in my way?" He stood to his full height, reminding me that he was taller then I was, and just a little more intimidating. _Damn it. _I reluctantly let go of his arm, backing away slightly.

I heard footsteps behind me, and turned to see Ichigo walking towards us, "Just who are you guys anyway?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that." The blonde said as he looked at Ichigo, lazily tossing the pill into the air. He paused when a hand snatched it from him. I found Rukia standing there.

She held the pill out of the man's reach, "I believe that's mine."

"Miss Kuchiki, you can't have that."

"And why can't I, Kisuke?" her eyes were set and fierce. She was no longer the sweet girl in class, and more like a mature soldier. "Are you saying its your policy to seize goods that customers have already paid for?"

He looked a little nervous, "I'll give you a refund." He offered.

"Sorry, but I'm completely satisfied with my purchase," No deal. I was relieved that Rukia had saved him for us. "Besides, we both know that your operating outside of the law."

He shrugged, shaking his head, "Hope you know what your getting yourself involved in. So don't blame me if you get into trouble."

"I won't. I've dealt with enough trouble already," She walked away from him, stopping in front of me, "I believe that this belongs to you now." I held my hands up, and she dropped the pill into my palms. So that stranger was inside of it? "Let's go." She ordered.

Ichigo glanced at me, and then walked towards his body. He turned so that his back was facing it, and fell backwards. He melted into his body like an object hitting water. I watched with amazement as he leapt up, crying out and gripping his bleeding shoulder in pain. I ran over to him, kneeling beside him, "Are you okay?"

"My shoulder hurts like Hell, do I _look _okay!?" he snarled.

I narrowed my eyes and slapped his shoulder, causing him to cry out again, "Don't yell at _me!_" I pointed at the pill in my hand, "It was _him _that hurt your shoulder, got it?" I was about to yell at him again, but stopped. Something was not right. I turned to face the blonde man, but he and his gang were gone. "Hey…they vanished…" I sighed, "…and I wanted to ask that guy a question."

"Why?"

"Because, he knew my name, even though I never told him." Ichigo seemed to realize how strange that was, too.

There was no use dwelling on it, so I placed my hands on my hips and looked down at Ichigo, who was sitting on the ground. "Alright, starting answering my questions. What is going on? What's a mod-soul, why was your spirit running with a sword and weird clothes, and what was with that funky looking caterpillar?"

"Its…kind of hard to explain." Ichigo stood, massaging his throbbing shoulder.

I looked to Rukia, who was starring at me with a thoughtful look on her face, "So your spiritually aware?"

"I guess. That's what everyone keeps saying."

"Fine," she sighed and shook her head, "if that's the case, then its going to be impossible to hide this from you, no matter how many times I replace your memories."

I blinked, and stared at her strangely, "What do you mean by that?"

"Huh, oh nothing," she laughed, shaking a hand at me. Her expression melted into a less carefree one as she approached me, "Okay, I'll tell you the truth. Spirits exist, as I'm sure your aware. They dwell in a world called the Soul Society, but some come here, to the world of the living. Humans who are not spiritually aware cannot see these spirits, but those like you can see these spirits. I am not a human. I am what you would call a Shinigami, a being that can make use of spiritual powers. I hail from the spirit world, and its my job, as a Soul Reaper, to purify evil spirits.

"There are evil spirits called Hollows that evolve from spirits who refuse to depart from the world of the living. They devour the souls of others. Its my job to exercise them and send them to either the underworld or the Soul Society. I send normal spirits there as well. That 'caterpillar' was a Hollow. If it was not for that mod-soul and Ichigo, it would have devoured _your _soul.

"By the way, mod-souls are souls that have been modified by the Soul Society for combat against Hollows. But forcing human corpses to fight was deemed 'inhumane', so the mod-souls were to be disposed of. And also, that Hollow probably came to this school not for the kids, but for _you._"

I drunk in everything she said, and to be honest, I believed her. How else could I explain what had just transpired today? But something did not make very much sense. "But why would an evil spirit want to eat me?" It was hard to believe that _I _was the intended target.

"Because, you have a powerful spiritual aura surrounding your body. Its…different, from other humans," her eyes narrowed, "is Ichigo's outfit familiar to you?"

I looked at him, and then to her again, nodding my head, "Yeah. All the boys at my school wear that uniform."

"No," she sighed, shaking her head, "I mean the outfit he was wearing when his spirit was separated from his living body. Was it familiar?"

I hesitated, thinking about it. Then I shook my head, "No. Not at all." She did not seem very convinced.

"So you believe me?" I nodded, "That's good. Because if you didn't, then I was going to separate you from your body."

One eyebrow narrowed, "And how would you go about doing that?"

"I have my ways," That answer was not good enough for me, "But I do need to keep you under constant surveillance."

"Why?" If she thought I was going to go around talking about this, then she was wrong. No-one would believe me.

"That aura of yours is dangerous. More Hollows will attack you, and Ichigo and I can't follow you everywhere. So I need you to be around Ichigo as much as possible, so he can protect you until further notice."

I crossed my arms over chest, still holding the green pill, "So what do you propose? Me moving in with him?"

"Yes."

"WHAT!?" Ichigo and I shrieked simultaneously.

One of Rukia's eyebrows rose, "What? What's wrong?"

Ichigo rose to his feet, cradling his shoulder as he approached us, "That's just a little wrong. My dad will get all kinds of ideas if she decides to move in with us."

"And he'd probably say 'no'." I added.

"No, he would let you;" I looked at him strangely, "Dad sees you as a 'third daughter', so he would be glad to let you move in if you wanted to."

That was a little surprising, but I should have noticed that when Mr. Kurosaki started treating me like one of his own. "Not to mention, Hinata lives with Orihime. What would she tell her? And my dad would get the wrong idea, too." I met Rukia's gaze, and quickly realized that I had no choice in the matter. I sighed and walked towards the railing, lifting my leg up. Ichigo noticed what I was doing and rushed to my side, yanking me back onto the roof, "And what the Hell do you think your doing!?"

"If I break a leg then I'll have an excuse to live with you!" I shouted, struggling against his death grip.

"If you jump off, then you'll break more then your leg!" He had a point. Ichigo released me, and I merely leaned against the railing.

Rukia rolled her eyes, "Your both being ridiculous. She can just live in the closet with me."

"Closet?" I shot him a questioning glance.

He sighed, "She's been living in my closet this past week, seeing as she has nowhere else to go."

Now everything made sense. "Is that why you were always standing in front of your closet when I brought your dinner up to you? You shoved her in there?" He nodded. I rubbed my chin with the hand carrying the green pill, "Think we could pull it off?"

"I've managed to hide in there." Rukia replied.

But there was one more problem. "What about Orihime? She…oh!" I snapped my fingers, "I'll just say that things are getting rough at the clinic, and I need to be there for quite a while. How about that?"

"But she won't believe that forever…" he paused, "…then again, maybe she would."

"Orihime maybe a little dim by she's not stupid," I reminded him, "Think of her grades."

Rukia turned towards the exit of the roof, "So its settled. Lets go to your place and either leave a note or tell Orihime your plan, and then go to Ichigo's house. If I'm right, you should be going there anyway."

"Yeah," I looked at Ichigo, who was wincing because of his wound, "I'll stitch that up for you when we get to the clinic, alright?" He nodded, and we walked towards the exit.

We were met with a long flight of stairs. It took several minutes for us to reach the ground floor and enter the middle school. We left before anyone could catch us, and headed straight for Karakura High School. There, Ichigo and I hid in the bushes near the building, while Rukia went inside. There, we waited until she came back. The sun was already beginning to set by the time we neared my house. It was hard to leave Orihime like this, but it was for her own protection. I was so exhausted after everything that happened, and just wanted to take a nap somewhere.

On our way to my house, we passed a construction sight. Ichigo was groaning and moaning about his wound.

"Your really feeling it." Rukia commented.

He stopped, stretching his wounded arm, "Sure am. That mod-soul really took my body for a pretty rough test drive," He turned to me, grabbed my hands, and opened them so he could see the pill. "You tried to wreck me!" there was no response. I looked at him strangely, "Hey, are you even listening to me!?"

"You look really silly yelling at an inanimate object in public." I deadpanned.

He glared at me, "Well, I wanna tell him how I feel?" he turned to Rukia, "Isn't there a way I can talk to him?"

"You to insert him into a dead body, or at least a body without a soul."

Ichigo cackled evilly as he swiped the pill from my hands, "Ah-ha, I got it," he started looking back and forth, "I'm looking really hard for a dead body!" I was almost afraid that he was going to kill some random passerby and use their corpse. He paused and looked at a pile of garbage near the wooden fence keeping us from the construction site, smiling widely. He walked up to the pile, and grabbed a cute little stuffed lion. "So let me get this straight; your saying that a nonliving could work for this, right?"

"Hold on, that's…" her voice trailed off, and she paused. "…then again, it might work."

Ichigo was excited by the possibility, "Think so? So what do I do?"

"Its kinda obvious, Ichigo," I placed my hands on my hips as Rukia and I moved to either side of him, "Just stick it in his mouth, right?"

Ichigo did as I said, and placed the little green pill in the doll's mouth. Nothing happened. He held it up by its arms, "Got any ideas that'll work?"

"_That _should have worked." Rukia replied.

He began twirling it in a circle by its arm. I jumped when the doll glared at him, and cried out, "That hurts nimrod!" it kicked him in the head, "Got it!?" The small lion leapt out of his grasp and landed on the ground, pointing at him, "Ichigo Kurosaki, I challenge you to a no holds bar duel!"

"As if." The redhead growled as he rose to his full height.

The little guy seemed to realize the size difference, "Hey, how'd you get so big!? Or did I shrink? What happened!? I'm in a super cute plush toy with soft paws and no muscle! This isn't fair!"

"Hey mod-soul," I backed away after seeing Ichigo's evil smirk. He knelt down in front of it, "relax. Time for some payback for what you were doin' to my body earlier," he grabbed its head, gripping it tightly, "Your little fieldtrip could've taken me out completely, and you would've hurt Hinata, too! I need to make you understand that."

But that did not seem to scare the poor creature. "Guess I'll just have to mop the floor with you just the way I am!" The mod-soul tried to punch Ichigo, but his soft paws would not damage him a single bit. Ichigo responded by bonking him on the head, and then tossing him into the air. Just as he was about to punch it, I grabbed the little mod-soul and held it away from him. "H-hey, what're you…?"

"Beating him up won't solve anything," I held the little guy up, "Stop possessing people, kidnapping people, and being retarded, alright?"

The little lion smiled at me, and then embraced my neck, "Your so nice to me! How can I eve repay you?"

"Never kidnap me again." I replied in a flat tone.

"Deal!" I hugged the doll close to me and turned to face the others.

"Let's go." I turned away from them and continued on to my house. Ichigo and Rukia followed me there. When we arrived, I stopped outside the front door, "Now, stay out here with Ichigo and Rukia, okay? I'll be back in a sec." I turned and handed him to Ichigo.

"No, he'll hurt me!" the little stuffed animal whimpered.

I smiled at him reassuringly, "Ichigo won't lay a hand on you…or he'll regret it." I looked at said male pointedly. He rolled his eyes. I turned and headed to the door. It was locked. Curious. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, then walked inside. I silently moved across the living room, down the hallway, and into my bedroom. There, I threw my suitcase onto my bed, and began stuffing it full of clothes. Once everything was packed, I grabbed a sheet of paper and pencil and sat at my table. I jot a quick explanation down on the parchment, grabbed my stuff, and left the room.

I walked outside, finding the others waiting for me. I tapped the note onto the front door, and gave Ichigo the okay.

The stuffed animal escaped Ichigo's hand and landed on my shoulders as we began heading down the sidewalk.

It only took a few minutes for us to reach the clinic. Rukia took my bag, and scaled the wall of the two-story home, climbing into Ichigo's bedroom window as if it were a breeze. I followed Ichigo inside of the clinic as usual, being greeted by Mr. Kurosaki attacking his son, like usual. Ichigo and his father had another fist fight while I got to work helping Yuzu with an injured patient. Most of them were gone, and this last one be leaving today. I helped look after him until his wife and children came to get him. Once they arrived, he bid farewell and left the clinic.

I said goodbye to the Kurosaki family and walked out of the clinic, like I usually would. But this time, I walked around the clinic, stopping at Ichigo's window. It was open and there was a wooden ladder waiting for me. I carefully climbed up and crawled into Ichigo's bedroom, finding said teen lying on his bed. He was wearing his pajamas, with Rukia in bright yellow ones.

"Hey, I put your stuff on the bottom of the closet, right below the shelf I sleep on." Rukia said, opening said door.

"Yay! Your back!" The little stuffed animal leapt towards me, hugging my around the chest. I embraced him back. "I missed you so much!"

I smiled, "Nice to know that I'm loved."

I glanced around the bedroom, feeling a little wary. The new reality fully hit me, and I saw the bedroom swirl around me. My eyelids slowly closed over my eyes, and I felt my knees buckle. There was a flurry of voices, and then I lost consciousness completely…

**End of this chapter. Yes, lots of a talking happened in this chapter. Please review and I shall update soon…**


	7. Chapter 7

**And here is the next chapter. I hope that more reviews will start coming in. So, without further adieu…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Please enjoy, no flames, but I will accept constructive criticism. **

**Chapter 6: Strange **

"_When I stand before God at the end of my life_,

_I would hope that I not have a single _

_Bit of talent left, and could say_,

"_I used everything you gave me_"."

-Erma Bombeck

_My legs moved as I frantically sprinted through the darkness, screaming for my mother. I had the feeling that I was being followed. The thought…frightened me. I wanted my parents, but they were nowhere to be found. Tears streaked my cheeks as I cried out for my mother once more, only to be denied of her help. A strange, eardrum splitting sound filled my ears. I stopped, and covered my ears, wondering what the sound was…_

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My numbed body retrieved the feeling that had been lost. My body shot upright, only for my forehead to smack into something flat and hard. "Ow!" I fell back onto what felt like a soft pillow. I glanced around, and found myself in what appeared to be a darkened closet. I was wrapped in a cocoon of soft blankets, and wearing nothing but a tank-top and sweat pants. A suitcase was propped up behind me.

"Hinata, are you alright?" I looked up, and found Rukia leaning over the ledge of the white ceiling above me. She was wearing her school uniform, brushing her hair.

I rolled out from under it, and found that it was a shelf with a makeshift bed on it.

"Rukia? Where am I?" Memories from yesterday returned to my mind, and I realized that I was sleeping inside Ichigo's closet. I grabbed the knob and threw the door open, finding sunlight spilling in through the window, illuminating Ichigo's bedroom. The little mod-soul was still inside of his stuffed body, lying on the floor and shaking his head.

Ichigo was sitting upright on his bed, glaring at the little animal, "You can't start the day acting like a retard. Act like a real stuffed animal and shut-up, Kon," he looked at me, "Morning, Hinata." I merely waved at him.

The mod-soul got to his feet and glared at the taller male, "Kon? What kind of name is that!?"

"I've named you Kon because it's short for Mod Kanpoku; it's another name for a mod-soul like you." I thought the idea was really creative.

Of course, Kon did not agree with me. "You're not the boss of me!" he cheered up immediately and looked up at Ichigo hopefully, "Please call me Mod, it sounds cooler."

"No."

His reply displeased Kon, "Why not!?"

"Your right, Mod does sound cool, but there's nothing cool about you." Ichigo replied as he slid off of his bed.

Rukia slammed her foot against the floor beside me, and rose to her feet, "I will not stand for all this commotion! I like getting dressed in peace." What she did not realize, is that she landed on Kon. That gave the latter a clear view up her skirt.

He gave her thumbs up, smiling as he did, "I was just telling Ichigo that my name should be Mod. What do 'ya think?" She responded by stomping on him. I sighed and laid back on my pillow. _What a lively morning this is. I miss the peace and quiet known as Orihime's house. _My heart skipped a beat when Yuzu's voice rang from the other side of his door. I sat up, only to lay back when I smacked my head against the shelf again. _I need to remember that thing is there. _I calmed when Ichigo lunged at us and shoved both Rukia and Kon into the closet with me, slamming the door shut. Luckily, I was injured the process.

Silently, we listened as Ichigo and his younger sister spoke. I sighed with relief as the blonde female exited the room. _So I go from living with biological family, to living with my kind-of foster sister, and then to living in a boy's closet. Where will I be moving next? _

I grabbed the crack in the closet door and slid it open, only to shut it again. "Something wrong?" Rukia was brushing her hair, smoothing the spots that were ruined by the redhead's rough treatment.

"I got a glimpse of Ichigo in his boxer shorts." I decided to attempt to change into my uniform at the bottom of the closet, despite the cramped space.

It was easier then I thought, but still a pain nonetheless. When I was finished, I climbed out of the closet, finding a fully dressed Ichigo standing by the window. My appearance was a little disheveled, so I took the time to smooth my clothes out and brush my hair a little longer. I tied it up, leaving my bangs hanging free. Rukia was waiting for me, standing with her back pressed against the wall. Apparently, Keigo and Mizuiro were waiting for the orange haired male outside, so Rukia and I had to wait until the coast was clear. She told me that yesterday, she replaced their memories. It was as if Kon had never been there.

"Ichigo," He was still standing by the window, starring into the outside world beyond. I was starting to think that he zoned out, and was losing track of time. "You need to leave first so that we can without being caught."

There was no reply. "Ichigo?" He remained silent.

One of my eyebrows arched. I crossed the room and shook his shoulder. He jumped and snapped his head in my direction, "Huh? What?"

"You need to leave before Rukia and me, remember?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." He walked away from the window and left his bedroom.

There, Rukia and I waited until the orange haired teen began walking down the street with Keigo and Mizuiro at his side. Once the coast was clear, Rukia helped me climb down the ladder, and drop down into the yard. She followed, and then the two of us began making our way to the school grounds.

_Ichigo… _The look in his eyes. A flurry of emotions filled his dark brown irises, and I could see a hint of pain in them. _What was going through your mind, Ichigo? _I paused while Rukia and I were walking on the sidewalk, a sudden thought occurring to me.

"Rukia…what's tomorrow?"

The raven-haired girl paused, and looked at me, "June Seventeenth, why?"

_That time again. _

"Nothing." I continued on, feeling that answering questions would be unnecessary.

A few minutes later, we arrived at school. I followed the usual routine and went to my desk, where Tatsuki, Chizuru, Michiru, and Orihime were.

"Hinata!" the orange haired female called as I sat down.

I looked at her, "Hm?"

"How is everything going at the clinic? You look really tired, have you gotten any sleep?" she was worried about me.

"I'm fine. We've got it pretty rough there, though. I stayed up pretty late." Lying was not a very good habit, but I had to. Rukia made it perfectly clear that I was not to tell anyone. It was still hard to believe that I was in danger and just because of some strange spiritual aura.

"Hey Tatsuki, your in art class, right?" Michiru was looking at her, a sheepish expression on her face.

The raven-haired girl, who was standing beside me, turned her attention to her, "Yeah."

"Then could you tell me how you did that project? The one where we predict our future in a drawing?"

Tatsuki returned to her desk and grabbed her folder, pulling a piece of parchment out. She proudly flashed it before us, allowing us to see her work. Her artistic skills were amazing. It was an image of her standing in the middle of a wrestling ring, holding up a golden belt that glimmered in the light. A crowd was cheering around her. "It's a picture depicting me as a wrestling champion."

"That's really good Tatsuki." And I was being serious about that.

Michiru seemed to agree, "It's wonderful! But, now I'm so embarrassed I don't even want to show my drawing," she looked at the other female, "Hey Orihime, what did you draw?" I was not in that class, so I did not participate in the project.

"I'd loved to. I'm actually happy you asked, but I'm really proud of what I drew," she opened her own folder and pulled a picture out. It was a cartoony drawing of her as a cyborg, a robot-human of doom. She was blasting a city apart and fighting what appeared to be made up villains. "I'll have a velocity of two-hundred forty miles per hour, and twenty degree Celsius flame will shoot from my mouth, and my eyes will project destruction beams!"

I shook my head, laughing at my friend's wild imagination, "That future sounds…interesting." _Hopefully that teacher can appreciate her vivid imagination, because it looks like she put a lot of work into it. _

"Oh, Orihime, it's all wrong!" Michiru cried, looking a little creeped out.

The door opened, and Ichigo entered the classroom, followed by his friends. _Wait, how'd he get here after me when he left first? _I decided that it would be best not to ask.

"Hi, Ichigo!" Orihime chirped merrily, waving at him as she did.

The orange haired teen stopped and smiled back at her, "Hi Orihime." And continued on to his desk.

My jaw fell slightly. _Ichigo? _Something was up. Ichigo would have replied in a bored tone or simply waved. Why was in such a good mood this morning? Even as Keigo gave Rukia another one of his strange greetings, and said something dumb enough to earn a sarcastic remark from Ichigo, the boy never said a word. He merely laughed at his idiot friend's statement.

"Michiru, what's the date today?" Tatsuki asked, wearing the same expression that was plastered on my face.

She checked her watch, "June Sixteenth."

"I knew it," her words caught my attention. I listed to Tatsuki as she went on, "He usually hides his feelings, and he maybe acting nice, but right now he's really tense. You guys shouldn't worry about it, 'kay?" She rose to her feet, and prepared to head to her desk, "I know why he's acting like this. And I bet that tomorrow, he's going to skip school altogether."

She walked away from me, returning to her desk. Orihime flashed me a curious look, but I returned it with a shrug. With that, she went to her own table. I remained in my place, starring at the desk. _What is she talking about? What could be happening to Ichigo that is so important…on the same day that my… _I was tapping my pencil against my desk when I noticed the rip on my sleeve.

"Oh crap, not my jacket," I groaned, shaking my head.

Chizuru cocked her head so that she was looking at me, "What happened?"

"There's a rip in the sleeve, dammit." I sighed and smacked my palm against my forehead. I hated it when my clothes tore.

"Where is it?"

I jumped and looked up. A fifteen-year-old boy, with short black hair was standing beside my desk. His long bangs were parted, so I could see his dark blue irises. His skin was pale, and his body was very lean. H was wearing the boy's uniform, only without the jacket. Glasses aided his impaired vision.

"What?" I blinked, starring at him.

He held up a needle with some thread in it, "Where is the rip?" I blinked again, and held my arm up. He gabbed my arm gently, and held it close. I watched as he began working on the fabric, closing the rip in a matter of seconds. "There."

I examined my arm, finding that it was perfect, "Thanks…um?"

"Ishida Uryu," The boy said with a small bow, "And you're welcome."

"Inoue Hinata." My lips curled into a polite smile as he returned to his desk near the center of the room. _That was nice. _

The teacher arrived a few moments later, and called all of us to order. We started on our work, even though I had trouble paying attention to it. I was more focused on Ichigo and Tatsuki's cryptic words. How could tomorrow be important to the both of us? And he managed to retain his overly cheerful attitude, causing some of my friends to feel a little worried for him. At lunch, he actually offered to share his food when Mizuiro forgot his. In gym class, he was extremely helpful to others, when normally he would keep to himself.

After school, Ichigo, Rukia, and I headed to the clinic in the exact opposite of silence. The orange haired male was talking up a storm with the raven-haired girl, while I took his place remained the silent one. Strange indeed.

Rukia snuck inside while Ichigo and I entered through the front door.

As soon as I entered the clinic, Mr. Kurosaki stomped up to me, causing me to stop near the front door.

"I'm sorry Hinata, but you have tonight and tomorrow off." He announced loudly.

I looked up at him strangely, but then remembered why. _That's why! _The Kurosaki family always go somewhere on June Seventeenth, although why and where remained a mystery to everyone.

I faked a smile, "Oh yeah, I forgot. Well, see you guys later." I turned and left the clinic. When his father was no longer paying attention, I made a sharp turn and ran around the building. I scaled the ladder and climbed into Ichigo's bedroom, where Rukia and Kon were hiding.

"You early." She said as she sat on the floor.

Kon leapt off of Ichigo's bed and into my arms, "Yay, its Hinata!"

"Hey there," I stroked his artificial fur and sat on the foot of the bed. "I always have a day off on June Seventeenth and Sixteenth."

"Why?"

"Because the Kurosaki family goes on a trip on the Seventeenth, and they prepare on the Sixteenth. Now, be quiet so I can listen. I want to know why." I moved to the floor and laid down, listening carefully.

Guessing from their voices, they were in the kitchen. "Time for our meeting! As chairman, I shall be making all decisions!" That was Isshin speaking.

"As if!" Karin shouted, "Who made you chairman?"

"Hey, hey! You must raise your hand if you wish to speak, Chief of Staff!"

"I'm…Chief of Staff?" she seemed to like her position.

"Yuzu, you shall be security of lunch! Karin, you will load our packs!"

"I thought I was Chief of Staff!"

"Did I say Chief of Staff?"

"Yeah."

"I meant Chief of _Stuff!_"

"Stuff!?"

"Stuffing our packs, that is."

"Oh come on!"

"Back to bed, that's an order!"

I sat up, and shook my head. _Okay, that was pointless. I just found how they planned to get to their destination tomorrow, but I don't know where they're going, or why. And how come Ichigo wasn't given a job? _I could hear the sound of heavy footfalls, realizing that it was the boy himself. A door shut, and after a few moments of silence, I heard running water. Ichigo was taking a shower.

"Any idea why he's been acting so strange?" Rukia asked as she moved to sit beside me.

I shook my head, "No," That flicker of pain re-entered my mind. _But…it must be really important. _A strange sound rang from above. I glanced out of the window, and found that the sky was darkened by rain clouds. _It rains every June Sixteenth…_ "Hey Rukia."

"Hm?"

"Why did you ask me if Ichigo's outfit was familiar, the one he wears when he's a spirit?"

There was a short pause, "No reason. Just curious." She was lying. But I could tell that she did not want to answer, so I did not push for the truth. She rose to her feet, and quickly changed into her bright yellow pajamas. Kon had moved from my lap and onto Rukia's bed in the closet.

Ichigo entered the room a moment later, his head covered by a white fluffy towel. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and black pants with dark blue designs on them. He crossed the room, stopping in front of the window. He stretched his arms and placed the towel across his head, a distant look in his eyes.

"That sounded like fun." Rukia said cheerfully as she climbed out of the closet.

He cocked his head so that he was facing the two of us, "What?"

"The family meeting," she said as if reminding him of what transpired only a few moments ago, "so you're skipping school and going on a family picnic? That sounds like fun!"

_Lucky dog. I can't skip school just because of tomorrow. _I thought as I climbed into the closet. I tossed Kon out before shutting the door, and began stripping off of my uniform.

"Hey Rukia, I know that I have responsibilities as a Soul Reaper…but, can I have the day off?"

That surprised me. I was slipped my tank-top on, shooting the door a strange look.

"Did you just ask me for a day off?" she did not sound like she was going to grant his request, "Are you crazy? First, you act strange the entire day, and now you're pulling _this _on me?" _What, do Soul Reapers have something against vacations? _I slipped my sweatpants on, waiting to hear Ichigo's reply.

There was a silence, and then his voice filled the room. "It's the anniversary…of my mom's death," my stomach felt heavy as soon as I heard the words, "Well; actually…it's the day she was killed." That caused my heart to skip a beat.

For some reason, Isshin had a gigantic picture hanging on one of the walls in their living room. It was a poster of a very beautiful woman, who was possibly in her mid to late twenties. She had long, wavy blonde hair. Her blue irises illuminated the room, making it feel at ease. She appeared to be of American decent. Whenever Isshin argued with his daughters, he would weep in front of the picture in a goofy and theatrical manner. I always wondered why. That is when it hit me. Ichigo's facial appearance was very similar to hers; he looked like the male version of that woman. And orange was a mutation of blonde, so he inherited his hair from her. That woman was his mother. I never asked him why his mother was not around. I simply assumed that she left, but now I knew the real reason.

It had to be a coincidence. My family was murdered the same day Ichigo's mother was killed.

_No wonder. _Rukia did not say another word. Instead, she silently opened the door and climbed onto her shelf. Kon laid beside me on the floor, while I tried to force myself to sleep. Ichigo was lying on his bed, unconscious. I gazed at the darkened shelf above me, and eventually shut my eyes. I tried to drift away from reality, but Ichigo's words continued to force me back. I grew sick of it, and left the closet.

I moved to stand in front of the window after I made sure that everyone was asleep. The house was silent, so it was safe to move around.

The rain was pouring outside, soaking the ground that had once been dry.

_Why is, when Heaven weeps, I feel the urge to join? I mourn for those who had been lost in the dephs of time? _I glanced at Ichigo, who was lying on his bed with the towel wrapped around his forehead. He appeared troubled. _His pain… _Without thinking, I approached the bed and knelt beside it. My hand lifted to his forehead. He was tossing and turning, muttering something in his sleep. I pressed my palm to his temple, and closed my eyes.

_Please…Ichigo…calm dow-huh? _My hand twitched, and pain throbbed in my own head.

Images of Karakura Town flashed before me. It was raining, just like tonight. Only it seemed different. There was a young Ichigo wearing a cute little raincoat, walking along the soaked sidewalk. He was holding the hand of a blonde woman. His mother. He curiously glanced at the river they were passing, seeing a girl with a long, ivory coat standing there. She was falling. The young Ichigo tried to stop her, with his mom following closely behind. She cried out for her son. Then, Ichigo passed out. When he woke, his mother's bloodied corpse was curled up beside him, holding him as if to protect him from some unseen force. The small boy wept for his mother, but she did not respond. She was dead.

I ripped my hand away from him, recoiling from the pain in my forehead. I massaged my temples, trying to dismiss what I saw. His mother's words haunted me. Screams that tried to stop her son from his reckless actions. Her last words to her beloved child. I sat on the floor, feeling the tears as they burned my eyes…

**Okay, you just had a glimpse of Hinata's abilities. Those will be explained later. Please review and I shall update soon…**


	8. Chapter 8

**And here is the next chapter. Like I said, I hope for reviews to start coming in. So, without further adieu…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Please enjoy, no flames, but I will accept constructive criticism. **

**Chapter 7: Comfort **

"_I believe in Christianity as I believe_

_That the sun has risen_: _not only because I see it_,

_But because by it I see everything else_."

-C.S. Lewis

_Tears streaked my cheeks as I stumbled backwards, eyes wide with terror. Blood spurt from the corpse that fell to the floor, a darkened shadow standing above the body. Screams of horror surrounded me. The sound of a gun. More cries of pain. And yet, everything felt so unreal. The fear that once filled my heart seemed to melt away. Something was off. I could hear another sound that was out of place. I listened closely, quickly understanding what it was…_

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"Hinata!"

I sat upright, smacking my head against something hard. "Ow!" Two voices shouted at once, causing my eyes to open. I blushed immediately, realizing that it was Ichigo saying my name. Said boy was sitting beside me, rubbing his sore cranium. I glanced around, finding that I was in his bedroom. Sunlight was pouring inside, allowing me to see my surroundings clearly.

"Eh," he shook his head, narrowing his eyes at me. He was sitting beside me on the floor beside his bed, "Look before you sit up!" He spat.

I glared at him, "Well you shouldn't be sitting over me scaring me awake!"

"Why are you sleeping on the floor anyway?"

That was a good question. I thought about it, but quickly recalled the memories from last night. I was surprised, honestly. Somehow, when trying to calm Ichigo while he slept, I managed to read his mind. To see what hid deep within his dreams. To see the cause of his inner pain. His mother's demise. Ichigo was still in his pajamas, the covers being smeared all over the mattress after he got up.

I looked at away from him, eyes glued to the floor, "I-I had trouble sleeping, so I got up and watched the rain. I must have passed out in the middle of the night."

"Well try to pass out where my family won't be able to find you." He said as he rose to his feet.

He walked to his closet and opened the door, opening one of the boxes at the bottom. No wonder my space was smaller then Rukia's; the left side was occupied by boxes. Ichigo pulled some clothes out, and turned to look at me. I got the message, and crawled into the bottom of the closet, closing the door. I could hear the rustle of clothes as Ichigo changed into some more fitting attire.

When he was finished, I climbed out of the closet. Rukia was still fast asleep, as was Kon.

He was wearing a short-sleeved white shirt with crimson sleeves, and a pair of black jeans with sneakers. I watched as he moved to stand in front of the window, a thoughtful expression on his face. There was a shout from below.

Ichigo turned to face his bedroom door, "Uh, be there in a sec!" He looked at me, a calm expression on his face, "Later." He crossed the room and left the bedroom.

He was in no mood to talk.

I knelt down near the windowsill, and watched as the day seemed to start. I was debating as to whether I should attend school or not. Since my family's death, I would skip school one year and then go the next. Whether I would go or not was not for certain. I decided to play hooky and avoid going; I just did not feel like I had the patience for it. It was not the mind numbing pain that used to haunt me. No…it was the confusion. For some reason, I did not feel the same sadness that once devoured my mind. Their death seemed so unreal, as if I were missing something.

"Hinata?"

I jerked around, finding a disheveled Rukia standing near the closet door. She yawned and ran a hand through her black hair, "Where's Ichigo?"

"He left." I replied, turning towards the window again.

There was another yawn, "Are you going to school?"

"No," I said without hesitation, "I'm skipping."

There was a pause, "Why?"

_Should I tell her or… _"You remember what Ichigo said?" She did not say anything, "Well, coincidentally, seven years ago…my entire family was murdered…on the same day that Ichigo's mother was killed…"

I was met with silence.

"Well, I still need you to get dressed."

I looked at her, a confused expression on my face, "Why?"

"Because we're going to the graveyard." The raven haired girl said as she reached into the closet. She pulled a short-sleeved, pale yellow dress and white sandals out.

"Why?" What could she have in mind?

"I need to be around to help Ichigo in case a Hollow shows up, and you need to come just in case a Hollow decides to drop in and devour your soul." She explained as she removed her pajamas.

I sighed and shook my head, "I don't know why you insist that I'm being hunted, because I've only been attacked by a Hollow once in my entire life." If only I knew the irony that dripped from my words.

"You might be attacked again. Hollows don't appear all the time. But when they do, it's always when it's most inconvenient." She slipped the dress on, and then slid the sandals onto her feet. She grabbed a brush and began straightening her hair.

I knew that she would probably drag me out of here kicking and screaming, and risking my life was not on my to-do list. So, I went over to the closet and rummaged around in my suitcase. I grabbed some clothes and then left the room. Carefully, I listened. Not a single sound. They already left. I left the bedroom and walked down the hallway, sneaking into the bathroom. There, I flipped the light on and shut the door. Once I knew that it was safe, I stripped my pajamas off and stepped into the shower. I washed myself off and then got out, using a white towel to dry my body.

First, I covered myself with the undergarments I brought from home. Next, I slipped a pair of denim, dark blue shorts on. A black tank-top covered my torso, and silver bracelets dangled around my wrists. Last, I slipped some black sneakers on.

I left the bathroom and went back to the bedroom, where I found Rukia holding a brown backpack.

"But Rukia, I…!" I heard Kon shout as she stuffed him into the pack.

"Why do we need him?" I asked, gesturing to the pack.

She looked at me, "We need him to possess Ichigo's body when a Hollow appears, and allow him to separate his spirit so he can fight it."

That explained Kon's use.

There was something else that was bothering me. Rukia must have had something else on mind. "Why else are you going?"

"What do you mean? I told you."

I was unconvinced, "I can tell from your eyes that there's another reason."

"My eyes?" she wore a curious expression.

I nodded, "You can learn a lot about a person's thoughts just by looking at their eyes. So, tell me."

She smiled lightly, and rose to her feet, slinging the pack onto her shoulder, "Okay, I'll tell you. I want to know who killed Ichigo's mother."

"Why?" What business was it of hers?

"Ichigo told me that he has had the power to see ghosts since he was very young. That meant he had a lot of spiritual power at a young age. If that's the truth, then that means that a Hollow may be the culprit behind his mother's death."

It made sense, but…would prying into what continues to stab his heart, like a sharpened dagger, really be a good idea? It was probably a touchy subject for Ichigo, seeing as he witnessed his mother's death firsthand. I turned my gaze to the floor, feeling uncertain, "I don't know how she died but…" I needed to tell someone, and Rukia would be the best person, "…last night, I stayed up late. Ichigo was tossing and turning in his sleep, and I when I touched his forehead…I saw it…I saw it all…"

The raven-haired girl was starring at me like a hawk.

I took a deep breath, and continued my explanation, "I saw his mother die right before his eyes."

"You read Ichigo's mind?"

I nodded, "Yes. I didn't actually see the cause of her death. They were near a river, and her body was lying in front of him, covered in blood. That's all Ichigo and I both saw."

"So you don't know how she died?" then she shook her head, "You _read _Ichigo's _mind?_"

She was starting to sound like a broken record. "Yes, I just said that," that is when I realized the reason she was looking at me that way, "Is that bad?"

"I don't know," her eyebrows knitted together, "Its impossible for living humans to have special powers like that. If you can do that…" her eyes widened, the expression becoming far more intense, "What did your mother look like? What was her name?"

That was a strange question, but I answered anyway. I thought about her for the first time in years, and then relayed the information to her, "Well, she had long, beautiful dark blue hair, almost black. Her eyes were pale silver, and her skin was light in tone. And her name…was…Kusabana. That's all I remember," I was a little worried when I saw the look on Rukia's face. "Rukia?"

She shook her head, "W-what?" She stuttered, which was not a good sign.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Not at all," she turned away from me and began walking to the bedroom window.

We descended the ladder, and dropped to the yard. Rukia reached into her back and pulled two bracelets out. They were yellow. She placed one on her wrist, and then one on my own. "This will help us pick up our speed so we can beat Ichigo to the graveyard. Let's go." She grabbed my wrist and took off running.

I yelped when I began sprinting faster then any normal human should be able to.

We practically flew along the sidewalks, passed the people and cars. We made painful sharp turns both left and right, and suddenly I found myself being yanked up a steep hill with a concrete ground. We came to a screeching halt near the top, and Rukia released my arm. I shook my head and removed the bracelet.

"Spiritual thingie?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yeah. It's pretty useful when I'm inside this useless gigai."

"Gigai?"

"An artificial body that allows those who aren't spiritually aware to see and communicate with me." She explained as she planted herself on the concrete sidewalk. I sat beside her, realizing that we were waiting for Ichigo.

The both of us were silent. Rukia shot me a look every now and then, but other then that, nothing happened. The sky was a clear blue, with only a few ivory clouds hovering above us. We were sitting at the top of a steep hill, where the road ends and the dirt path through the forest begins. Beyond the forest was the graveyard. It was hot out today, hotter then normal.

I almost dozed off, but when Rukia stood, I jumped up and looked around.

I quickly located what I was searching for, finding Yuzu and Karin standing only a few yards away, starring at us. Ichigo was right behind them. Rukia merrily waved at him, smiling. Ichigo wore a panicked expression. He sprinted passed his twin sisters and up the hill, stopping in front of us. I gasped when he grabbed my arm and Rukia's, then drug us both down the dirt path that led into the woods. I picked up my pace, trying to keep up with him as he pulled us along. He was not very happy.

Ichigo came to a stop, released our arms, and then turned to face us.

"What are you two doing following me here?" His hands were resting on his hips as he gazed at us, appearing slightly annoyed.

Rukia crossed her arms over her chest, while I merely stood there, looking a little sheepish.

"Isn't it obvious? We're here in case a Hollow decides to drop by."

Ichigo shook his head and gave an exasperated sigh, "Well you two did a great job keeping a low profile in front of my family! Why did you wave at me like that?" he looked at me directly, "And Karin and Yuzu recognized you Hinata! Couldn't you come up with a disguise?"

I narrowed my eyes, "I have every right to be here Ichigo! Your sisters know that, and so does your dad!"

He caught himself, and then turned his gaze to Rukia. He knew why I would come to the graveyard. He rubbed the back of his head, "Uh…yeah, its okay…Rukia, what are mad about _this_ time?"

"I'm not mad," the blue-eyed female replied, "But I would like to ask you a question. Its about your mother," I could see that he was on edge again, "You said that someone killed her."

"I never said that."

Suddenly, I wished she had never brought the subject up. I could see that expression in his eyes again. It was not very pleasant. She continued on, as if he had not said anything, "But you never mentioned _who _killed her."

"Just drop it, okay?"

He did not want to answer her questions, yet she pressed on. "When I first met you, you said you can see ghosts since you were little. I need to know this something, Ichigo. Do you think that your mother may have been killed by a Hollow?"

The negative emotions in his eyes increased.

"Maybe, if you're spiritual capability was strong enough, even as a child. Maybe a Hollow sensed your powers, and came after you, but then it…"

"SHUT-UP!!!"

His voice increased in volume so quickly that it caused me to jump. Ichigo was standing in front of his, his hands balled into fists. I could see the emotions that boiled inside of his brown irises. "Why is it always about Hollows with you? There wasn't a Hollow there that day, alright!? You'll never understand the pain and suffering I have to live with _every single day!_" His words were like venom.

_I do understand your pain, Ichigo. I felt it. I saw it…I've lived it. _

"Sorry to ruin your theory," he slowly began walking towards us, stopping when he was standing between us, "Your usual suspects like Hollows, serial killers, thugs…you can't blame them," he paused, as if finding it hard to say, "I am." With that, he took off at a dead sprint down the trail.

As if drawn by instinct, I jerked around and took off after him. "Ichigo!" I shouted as I ran as fast as I could in a desperate attempt to keep up with him. He ignored me and continued on. "Ichigo, turn around dammit! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!!!" Still, he pretended as though I did not say anything.

_Jerk! _After running for what felt like an hour, I skidded to a stop. I looked around, my heart rate increasing with fear. There was a strange aura in the air…I could feel it. I backed away, trying to avoid the feeling. I tore my attention away from this strange feeling when the ground vanished from beneath me. Being the genius that I am, I managed to find a small cliff and back off of it. Great, just what I needed. I cried out as I fell, hitting the steep ground hard and rolling to the bottom.

I landed on another dirt trail that connected to a set of wooden stairs. My ankle was throbbing with pain.

I sat up and looked down at myself. My body was decorated with scraps and it felt as though someone impaled my ankle with a knife. _Goodie. What a wonderful cliché I've found myself in. Girl chases after guy, gets scared of something, and then falls of a cliff and is injured. Well, better drag my dumb ass back to Rukia. _I tried to stand, but it hurt too much to walk, so I opted to remain seated on the ground. _I'll just sit here until the pain goes down a little. _

"Hinata!"

As if it were a reflex to hearing my name, I shouted "What!?" I looked up at the path I had fallen from, and Ichigo's head appeared above me. I waved at him, "Yo."

He sighed and rolled his eyes, then leapt off of the path, landing in front of me. He looked down at me, "What happened?"

"I fell." I replied in a flat tone.

The orange haired male knelt beside me, looking at me as if I were a moron. It was hard to blame him. "And the idiot award goes to you."

A small smile curled the corners of my lips, "Thank-you, thank-you…I've worked very hard to earn it, too."

"Why did you follow me?" he moved to sit Indian-style in front of me, eyeing my ankle.

My smile faded away, and I tore my eyes from him. Rukia failed, but maybe I could talk to him without upsetting him. "It's…about what you said a moment ago," there was no reply, "You said that Rukia and I don't understand how you feel..." I took a deep breath, "…but, Ichigo…I know how cliché this sounds, but…I do know how you feel," my eyes narrowed, "My entire family is dead! I saw them die…and I saw your mother die, too!" That last part slipped out before I could stop it.

When I looked Ichigo in the face, I saw that his eyes were wide.

I decided to clear the final part of my sentence before he got the wrong idea, "Last night, when I stayed up late…I know why I passed out on the floor. You looked like you were having trouble sleeping, and so…" I could feel the blush creeping onto my cheeks as I openly admitted this, "…to comfort you, I touched…um…y-your head, and then…somehow, I read your mind. I saw your memories. I saw your mom…" I stopped, thinking that I went to far, either that or sounded crazy.

"You can read minds?" he wore the same dumbfounded expression that was on Rukia's face when I revealed that tidbit of information.

I was getting annoyed with that question. "Yes, Rukia already asked me that twice this morning. I just found that out last night."

"So…you saw?" I nodded my head, to help confirm what I had just told him.

His head was hanging downward, making it hard for me to see his face. "I loved my mother so much…and I always felt safe as long as she was with me…" I did not expect this to happen, "…back then, I didn't know that I was seeing ghosts. I couldn't tell the difference between the living and the dead. When I was little, my dad told me that my name meant 'he who protects'. Up until then I had just wanted to protect my mother and my sisters. But that day, I knew that I had to protect that little girl, too. That's all I was trying to do. Instead…my mom died trying to protect _me. _I never saw the cause, but I knew when I looked at her, that my mom was dead…"

I could hear his voice crack as he continued on. It took me a moment to realize that he was pouring his feelings to me, as if it could contain these emotions no longer. So uncharacteristic for Ichigo Kurosaki. He never showed his feelings to anyone, and yet here he was, on the verge of tears. "…and that little girl was gone. I remembered wondering: how am I going to explain what happened to Karin and Yuzu? They all loved my mom…she was the center of our universe…"

"…the heart of our family…" his shoulders were shaking. I watched closely, and found small teardrops falling from his face. He was leaning so I could not see him, but I knew that he was crying. The sniffle was all I needed to confirm that he was. "…and now that heart had been cut out…by _me_…"

In situations like this, most would try to console him with words. Or they would take actions, such as rubbing his back or something.

But I said nothing. I did not do anything.

I found that the best thing I could say was nothing. The best thing I could do was merely sit there, and listen to him.

Sometimes, all a person needs is for someone else to listen to them. Not to try and console them with words and actions, but to merely sit there and listen. Allow them to pour their feelings to someone, but not have to hear cheap words. Such as 'I'm sure she's looking down on you', or 'she's in a better place and you'll see her again', or even, 'it's not your fault'. Yes, they were kind words. But they were overused and could do nothing to ease the pain. Can they bring the dead back? No. They did nothing to ease my pain; in fact, they made it worse.

People would say those things to me when I cried, and then my sorrow would turn to anger.

I felt pressure on my shoulder and looked down. Ichigo's head was leaning against my shoulder. His body stopped shaking. He was no longer crying. Still, I did not say anything, no matter how embarrassed I felt. I closed my eyes and relaxed. I was probably going to be in that position for a while. Or at least I thought I was until a cry echoed from above.

I looked upwards, and found a familiar being falling towards us.

The stuffed animal landed on Ichigo's shoulders. _Kon? _The orange haired teen removed his head from my shoulder, and straightened his back. He rose to his feet, his eyebrow twitching dangerously. "I am _really _not in the mood for you, _Kon_!" He growled as he grabbed the gold-brown animal and yanked him off of his back.

"Go easy on him!" I spat, annoyed with his horrible treatment of the poor creature.

Ichigo was starring the mod-soul in face, and his anger slowly dissolved into worry, "What's wrong?"

Now I was alert. "Rukia's in trouble!" the little lion sobbed.

"What happened?" Now I felt bad for just leaving her alone with a useless mod-soul. Maybe she was attacked by a Hollow?

"A Soul Reaper appeared, and he doesn't look like he's on our side," Kon whimpered, "I'll take you to them!"

"Right," Ichigo handed the mod-soul to me, turned, and knelt down in front of me. I just stared at him, "Well, get on!"

_Again with the piggyback ride. _Kon climbed onto my shoulder as I climbed onto Ichigo's back. I blushed as I pressed my knees against his waist to keep myself up, while the redhead pressed his palms against my legs to help secure my position. I ignored the pain in my ankle.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

With that little exchange, Ichigo took off running up the stone steps. He made a left turn and began running back the way we came. His body was not as fast as it was when Kon possessed him, and he was not leaping twenty feet into the air and singing like a dork. So, other then my throbbing ankle, the ride was somewhat enjoyable. Kon was yelling commands while standing on my shoulder, arguing with an irate Ichigo the whole way.

"RUKIA!!!" Kon shouted as we neared another path.

Ichigo came to a stop only a few feet away from the girl adorned in yellow. She appeared to be unharmed. My gaze scanned the trail until I found the target. It was a man, probably in his thirties, with short black hair and slitted irises. He wore the same uniform Ichigo's wears when in spirit mode, and was carrying a sword on his hip. However, his blade was different from the teenager's, by skinny and more like a katana then a clever. A straw hat protected his eyes from the hot sun.

"Who're you? What do you want?" Ichigo spat, obviously not in the mood to do with the supernatural today.

"Hey, its spikey head! And he's got that girl with 'em, too," he waved at us as if we were his friends. But the fact that his sword was unsheathed said otherwise. He paused, starring at us for a second, "Am I _really_ visible to _both_ of you?" Then a goofy smile appeared on his face, "Awww…is he giving his wittle girlfwiend a piggyback wide." He cooed as if speaking to an infant.

I would have kicked him in the shin if I had not been sitting on Ichigo's back. Ichigo cocked his head upwards, to try and see Kon, but it was still difficult to see my shoulder from his position, "Kon, who is this guy?"

"I don't know."

His eye twitched as he reached up and tore the small animal from my shoulder, "You brought us here, freaking out, because you said Rukia was in trouble you little fur ball!"

"Be nice, Ichigo! It's hard to think straight when you're panicking!" I kicked him in the hip for scolding Kon when he did nothing wrong.

The human male stroked the sore hip, glaring at me, "Don't kick me!"

"Well then stop yellow at Kon all the time!" I countered.

"Having problems with 'yer girlfriend?" the man was grinning slyly at us, a suggestive expression on his face.

Both Ichigo and I responded simultaneously.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"I'M NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND!"

_Why do people assume that we're an item all the time? _Seeing me on his back did not help our claim. But everyone assumed that we were dating even before I was forced into this awkward position.

He waved his hand at us, dismissing our claim, "Whatever…but there is something I'd like to know," his grin was just a little uncomfortable, "tell me about yourselves. Girl, what do you do?"

"I attend high school." I replied as if speaking to an idiot.

"Nice to know that you've been educated, but that's not what I meant," now I felt a little dumb for answering his question like that, "How are you involved with the spirit world?"

If he was a Soul Reaper, then that meant he was working for someone. Lying was probably a bad idea. "I'm spiritually aware…and I can read minds. So what?"

"You can read minds?" he was surprised by this, but then a wide grin appeared on his face, "Hmmm…tell, what are your parent's names? In fact, what's _your _name?"

That was where I drew the line. "What business is it of yours?"

"I'm just curious." He replied innocently.

I remembered how Rukia reacted to hearing my name, so I decided to tell him my name. "I am called Hinata. That's all I'm going to tell you."

"Hinata?" from the look on his face, he seemed to be satisfied with that, "Such a pretty little name, but it doesn't really fit your looks," my eyebrows narrowed slightly, "Now, boy, tell me: what do _you _do?"

"Don't say anymore!" Rukia shouted, looking very agitated.

But she was too late. "I'm a substitute Soul Reaper!" He called before anyone could stop him.

"A Soul Reaper?" the man asked in disbelief, but the smile never melted off of his face, "Is that right? Your joking, right?" No-one said a word. "Oh, Rukia…" he muttered in disappointment, "…you've committed a serious crime."

"Crime?" Ichigo and I repeated in unison. I swung my legs out of Ichigo's grasp and fell to the ground, landing on my rear.

"Ow!" I stroked my throbbing tail bone.

Ichigo glared down at me, "Idiot! What'd you do that for?"

"Shut-it!, I'm moving in case you go superman on me!" I shouted up at him.

I looked to man when I heard him whisper "Maybe I should just kill a Soul Reaper imposter instead of one of those stupid gigai." To himself. He threw his straw hat into the air, shouting "So let's do it!"

"Do what!?" Ichigo and I spoke at the time, feeling just a little worried.

He raised his sword and charged at us. Ichigo grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet, and despite my cries of pain, pulled me out of the way. The man swung his sword, but he missed me by a hair. The orange haired teen jerked me out of the way again, pulling me back a few steps. My ankle hurt so much that I collapsed in front of him, with a desire to punch him in the gut.

"Open up!" Ichigo shouted at the mod-soul that was still in his hand. He then jammed his fist into Kon's mouth. I watched in terror as the man charged at us, his sword raised. "Give it to me!" I waited for him to rip the pill out the stuffed animal. As the man neared, he raised his sword higher, and prepared to bring it down on us. I heard a whimper from above, and suddenly, a loud clang that stung my eardrums. Sparks flew as two blades collided with one another.

Ichigo fell onto his rear, grasping his throat and making a gagging sound.

"Your human and yet you can transform…interesting," the man said after he regained his balance. I turned around, and found spirit Ichigo standing behind the one that was sitting behind me. So that was Kon and not him. "I wanna know how you got that ability."

"I won't explain anything to _you!_" Ichigo replied as he bared his sword.

Rukia sprinted towards him, stopping in front of him, "This is _my _battle not yours! Stay out of it!"

"What can _you _do?" he asked cruelly, "You don't have your sword!" He pushed her aside and moved into a battle stance, "Move it, Kon!"

The mod-soul did as he was told, wrapping his arms around my torso and leaping out of harm's way. He landed beside Rukia. I cried out when my ankle hit the ground, and smacked him on the head. "Ow!" the modified soul whimpered.

"Be careful!" I spat and then glared at the warriors standing in front of us.

Theirs blades collided as Ichigo charged at the strange man, causing sparks to fly. The man overpowered Ichigo and knocked him back, then ran at him again. Ichigo blocked the attack, causing him to fly backwards. He ricocheted off of a tree and soared forwards, planting his blade onto Ichigo's sword, then dropped to the ground. He kicked the younger male in the stomach, and then knocked him off of his feet. He began slamming his sword against Ichigo's clever-like weapon, who was trying to use his strength to guard himself. Ichigo kicked at his legs, the man dodging his assault. He got to his feet just in time to block another assault. But the man managed to send him flying, knocking him back several paces.

A loud ding caused Kon and I to turn our attention to Rukia. She was holding a white cellphone. Both males paused in their fight and looked at the small female.

"It's a Hollow!" she announced. Ichigo pulled away from the mystery man and sprinted towards us, stopping directly beside the raven-haired girl, "Its close…and its big. Look at this," she held the phone out for us, "The spirit energy reading is higher then normal."

"Yeah…way out of your league."

We looked back, and found the man standing right behind us. Kon and Ichigo leapt away from him, pulling me with them.

"We gotta finish this now?" Ichigo was not up for a fight with him. The Hollow was more important.

Rukia shook her head, "There's no time for that. Your family might be in danger, Ichigo." The two immediately sprinted away.

"Move it Kon!" I called, and the redhead reluctantly took off after them. I could hear the man chasing after us.

Kon sprinted down the path. When we came to a set of stairs, he merely leapt to the bottom. We waited for Ichigo and Rukia, who took their sweet time in descending the steps. When they joined us, we continued onward, along the concrete path…


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank-you for reviewing. Sorry if the last chapter was too sappy, and I'll be including Hinata in more fights sometime soon. I'm just trying to avoid rushing things. So, without further adieu…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Please enjoy, no flames, but I will accept constructive criticism. **

**Chapter 8: Lure **

"_For it was not into my ear you whispered_,

_But into my heart_.

_It was not my lips you kissed_,

_But my soul_."

-Judy Garland

Kon carried me along the concrete pathway, while Ichigo and Rukia took the lead. Pale tombstones appeared in the horizon, and soon, we found the Hollow. Along with the Kurosaki twins.

The creature was humungous, and covered in dark brown fur. Its head resembled a white mask, and the sclera of its eyes were black. The irises were a deep crimson. Black dots decorated its cheeks, and its lips were a dark pink. Its hands were dark red. Dark red bird feet allowed it to walk. I could see a gigantic hole in the center of its body, allowing me to see directly through it. There was a long, dark pink antenna with a white lure dangling from its neck. The Hollow was holding Yuzu up by the throat with the lower, bringing her to its mouth. It was pinning Karin to the ground with one foot.

Ichigo did not waste any time. He leapt into the air and sliced the lure off, freeing his little sister. He caught her, and then skipped backwards, moving away from the hideous monstrosity. His raven-haired sibling was still trapped.

The Hollow removed its foot, and then lifted Karin into the air with its hand, earning a cry of pain from her.

Without moving its mouth, the creature spoke in a deep, male voice, "_One hostage is all I need. I have been waiting for you, Soul Reaper!_"

"Hold on, Karin!" the orange haired teen shouted as he placed Yuzu beside a tombstone. Both of his sisters lost consciousness, so there was little point in talking to them.

The unknown man arrived just in time to meet the ugly poltergeist. "Man that things ugly." _Thank-you for pointing out the obvious. That _really _helps the situation. _

I watched as another being appeared the Hollow. It was a little girl, probably around the same age as Karin and Yuzu. Her black hair was cut into a bowl-cut for girls. Her skin was deathly pale, and she bore pale peach lipstick. Her eyes were ice-lavender. She wore a long white cloak that billowed around her small frame in the breeze, and black sandals as her footwear. Her expression was without emotion.

She was very familiar, too. I thought about where I may have seen her before.

Realization dawned when I noticed that Ichigo recognized her as well. She was the little girl who fell into the river, then one who tried to save. But why was she here? Obviously, she was a ghost. Ichigo said so himself.

"That…it can't…" his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, "…it's the little girl I saw by the river, six years ago!"

That did not make any sense. "But how? Unless it was…" It had to be a trap. That Hollow tried to lure Ichigo into a trap when he was little. _So, his mother _was_ killed by a Hollow? Are they behind _everything?

"_Six years ago, huh?_" when the girl spoke, I heard the Hollow's voice. It confirmed my thoughts. "_Its been so long, you can't expect me to remember every soul I've eaten, can you?_"

My face twisted with disgust as her hair seemed to melt away, and a pink cable shot from her skull. It attached itself to the Hollow's head, and then she slowly took flight and began hovering in midair. _Okay, that's just nasty. _The little girl vanished, being replaced with a skull that had two arms, one red one white, dangling from it. This was only the second Hollow I met, and I already decided that they were all sickening and disgusting creatures.

"Grand Fisher…that is what the Soul Society dubbed him," It was nice of Rukia to tell us its name. But I could have lived the rest of my life not knowing that. "He usually stays invisible," _So it has a gender? Astounding. _I thought sarcastically. "And disguises the lure as a human. Anyone who sees the lure has high spiritual power. He does this so that he can attack that person, and devour them for their powers," That last bit of information was vital, and I was glad that she mentioned it. "We have been hunting him for over fifty years. His favorite victims…are women."

It was scary, wondering what it would be like if Fisher could read minds. Wondering just how many souls he has devoured was even worse. I felt less comfortable with the idea that he enjoyed devouring females most, seeing as I am a member of that gender. I an urge to ask Kon to take a few steps away, but I contained myself.

"So does that mean…my mother was killed by a…?" Ichigo's voice trembled, and slowly faded into the breeze that danced through his short bright orange tresses.

_So it was a Hollow…Ichigo… _The Hollow found this entertaining. "_Impressive, little boy,_" he chortled, "_you saw my lure and yet you lived!_ _It may have been my intention to devour you for your spirit energy, but there's just something so enticing about the women…_" I did not like the way he said that. "_…they're just such sweet creatures, its difficult to ignore them._"

"Bastard…" Rukia muttered under her breath.

"Pretty disgusting, huh?" the man clad in black muttered, looking just as angry as we were. But no-one could match Ichigo's fury.

My eyes narrowed dangerously. _That worthless piece of… _"You better shut your mouth if you know what's good for you!" It was a bold move threatening a Hollow when I could not even stand, but I was too angry to care.

Fisher turned his attention to me, "_Pretty brave for a child that is incapable of using her own legs,_" his grin widened, something I thought impossible, "_such high spiritual energy, and so cute too…_"

"Shut up!" I spat, wanting nothing more to beat it with my bare hands.

The Hollow merely laughed at me, lifting its lure into the air. It moved so face, none of us knew what it was doing until after the tentacle smacked Kon across the graveyard. He dropped me as a result, causing my ankle slam against the concrete ground. I cried out, cradling my throbbing limb in both hands. Fisher's lure wrapped around my waist and was about to hoist me into the air, but then someone sliced it in half. I found that Ichigo was standing there, glaring hatefully at the demon.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her!" His voice was trembling with white hot fury.

He ran forward, leaping high enough into the air to impale his head. Fisher leapt out of the way with surprising speed, causing his sword to crack the concrete ground.

"Don't be so reckless you idiot!" Rukia shouted while running towards me.

Fisher's hand extended, but missed Ichigo as he leapt onto the concrete wall. This did not stop it, though. Its fur grew into long strands that wrapped around Ichigo's limbs, pinning him to the wall. It completely covered him, into an ugly hairy ball.

I got to my feet, and limped towards the wall. My ankle was numb so I could not feel any of the pain.

"Ichigo!" He could not fight this thing alone. He needed help! And I was going to help him as much as I could in my current state.

Rukia beat me to the chase. She created a crimson colored kanji in midair, and then chanted a long incantation that I did not catch. Fisher began to shimmer scarlet, crying out in pain. "_You bitch!_" Some of the extended and sent Rukia soaring backwards, slamming into a tombstone.

"Rukia!" I felt so weak, so helpless. I could not do anything but read minds and see spirits. _Dammit, I'm useless! _

"_Now, sit back and watch as I devour this little girl!_" the Hollow cackled, holding Karin in the air.

"No, don't!" I heard Ichigo shout.

It stopped, then looked at him, "_Hm? Should I devour you first?_" With that, it opened its mouth and began moving towards the teenager.

"YOU SON OF BITCH!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, feeling my entire body go numb. I opened my eyes when I heard the Hollow scream in pain, and was surprised to see that the mystery man sliced its arm off. Karin fell to the ground, free of the demon's grasp. The feeling in my entire body, other then my ankle, returned immediately upon opening my eyes.

Fisher grabbed his leg with its mouth and tossed him to the ground. Ichigo took his chance and sliced the furry cocoon apart, saving himself. A sigh of relief escaped my throat, and I fell to the ground, my legs too weak to carry the rest of my body.

Tentacles made of fur shot from its side and straight me. Karin and the Hollow's severed hand were right behind me.

"Karin! Hinata!" Ichigo called, his eyes wide with horror.

_SHAT! _I covered my head, no wanting to see what was about to happen. I was relieved when the fur never came. I removed my arms, and found the strange man standing in front of us, holding his sword up. He sliced the strands in half, blocking them from their intended targets.

But some of the strands impaled his body, causing blood to drip from his lips.

Ichigo tore them apart with his sword. He turned to him, looking a little confused. "Why did you do that?"

The man used his sword to steady himself, gasping for air. "I'm Soul Reaper, kid. We fight Hollows…its our job," I winced as he coughed blood, "When a Hollow attacks at random, and kills someone…" he dropped to his knees, "that person's loved ones are the real victims…only emptiness is left to them…as a Soul Reaper, I can't let that happen…we must protect the innocent…get it, Spiky?"

He dropped to the ground, unable to go on. I was on the verge of tears, not wanting to see another person die in front of me.

"Get up! Can you hear me? Get up!" He did not move. Rukia limped towards him, and knelt beside him, "Is he alive?"

She was silent for a moment. "He's a asleep." She deadpanned.

For some reason, I had an urge to beat the man with my shoe. I was about to mourn over his dramatic death, and then it turns out he was just sleeping.

Kon seemed to just regain consciousness, because that is when he chose to approach our little group.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked, sounding like a curious little boy.

"Kon, take Ichigo's sisters and Hinata, and run!"

There was no way I planned to just evacuate the premises. I rose to my feet, my body trembling, and limped towards the orange haired teen.

"Hinata," Kon ran up to me, about to wrap his arm around my waist, "Let's go."

"No!" I shouted, and continued limping towards Rukia and Ichigo, "I'm not leaving yet. I'm going to help any way I can."

Ichigo turned his attention to me, "No Hinata, you need to go. I'll meet up with you later."

"But I want to stay…" I was about to protest, but then he interrupted.

"Go dammit! Leave now, or else you'll die just like my mother did! GO!" His eyes were filled with desperation. They were pleading.

I wanted to stay, but I knew that if I did, it would be harder on him.

Kon did not waste any time. He slung me onto his back, and after I made sure I was ready, grabbed Ichigo's sisters and took off running faster then sound itself. Rain pounded against my body, like being pricked with a thousand needles as Kon sprinted towards the forest. _Ichigo…Rukia…please, don't die. _Kon brought us to a small, wooden Japanese style building. It was office owned by whoever managed to graveyard. Isshin was there, wearing a black suit. Kon skidded to stop, kicking up mud as he did, and placed both Karin and Yuzu on the wooden steps. He then moved me so that he was cradling me in his arms, and sat down.

"Ichigo, Hinata, what happened?" Isshin asked, sound very serious and worried.

Kon looked up at him, and hesitated before answering, "Karin and Yuzu fell asleep, so I carried them here. Hinata fell in the forest, so her ankles hurt." That did not sound Ichigo would say, but it was close enough.

"I see…" the man turned a stern gaze to me, which was strange coming from him, "…are you okay, Hinata?"

I nodded, even though my ankle hurt like crazy, "I'll be just fine." I leaned against Kon's chest, feeling exhausted. My eyes closed, and I could feel my mind slowly drifting into the darkness…

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Ichigo…my son, I'm very proud of you. You and your father and Karin and Yuzu, I am so lucky to have had all those years with all of you. And I know that because of the love that all of you share, you will always keep the family together, even without me. Ichigo, live on, and never lose the smile that you always wore when you looked at me. Ichigo…I love you…_

_I wish I could be like the rain. If I were, then would I have the power to connect two hearts together. The way the rain connects the Earth and the sky, even though the two never touch. With each passing day, Ichigo…I think I've come to understand you…_

_What are these thoughts running through my head? They don't belong to me. The way the rain connects the Earth and sky, huh? That's an interesting way to put it. I wonder…if my mind reading powers help me connect to the hearts of others…to…wait, what am I saying? I sound like one of those girls in some sappy romance novel! Ugh, wake-up girl! Get out of dreamland already, sheesh..._

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _

The air was cold. My body was damp. My eyelids lifted, allowing me to return to the world of the living. The crickets played their soft lullaby. There was a wide, grassy field surrounding me. I glanced around, finding that I was lying on a set of wooden stairs. The stairs connected to a small, Japanese-style building. I was still near the graveyard. Fireflies sashayed back and forth, twirling and dancing to the music generated by the crickets. My body was no longer sore.

I twitched my ankle. It moved perfectly.

"Awake?" I looked up, finding Rukia kneeling beside me.

I laid back, trying to fully regain my senses, "Yeah…is he…?" I did not need to go into detail as to who 'he' was.

"Just fine," she sat beside me, a distant expression in her eyes, "he went to visit his mother's grave. The guys caught up in vengeance…because Grand Fisher escaped."

I slouched, "Oh…crud." But its wounds must have been great for it to flee from battle like that.

"I used Kido to heal your wounds."

I smiled slightly, "Thanks."

"Oh, and Hinata," she paused, "I need you to stay close to use even more then ever. That man…he knows something about you. The Soul Society…have their eyes on you."

"But why? What have I done?"

"I don't know."

I had no idea why, but the Soul Society were watching me. That worried me greatly. Ichigo, Isshin, Karin, and Yuzu appeared from the forest a second later.

I got to my feet, happy to walk without the nagging pain.

"Hey guys!" I called, cheerfully waving my hand at them.

Ichigo crossed the field with his family behind him, smiling at me, "Hey there, Hinata. How's your leg?"

"Its great! Better then ever." I placed all of my weight on one foot and twirled in a circle. Unfortunately, my balance was reminiscent of a newborn baby llama. So, I toppled over.

The orange haired teen caught me, shaking his head, "Your balance sucks."

"No kidding," I groaned, "don't rub it in!" He helped steady me, his hands pressed against my upper arms. _Those thoughts in my head, when I was unconscious. Was I reading other people's minds? I don't know who the first one was, but the second one sounded a lot like Orihime…hmmm… _"So, did you relieve some of your tension?"

His eyebrows shot up, and stared at me as if I had said something strange.

"You know what I mean!" He could be so dense sometimes.

His hands slid into his pockets, and he turned his head towards the sky, "Yeah, a little."

"Heh," my gazed moved to the stars above us, a small smile on plastered across my face, "Those ghost hunting shows have nothing on this!" I was not a fan of those shows where people venture inside of a 'haunted' building, and claim to see something, yet nothing is there. _They're a pain. _

"Ah, love is in the air," a male voice whispered from behind us, "I could feel the sparks that engulf young Ichigo and Hinata. Do I hear wedding bells?"

Ichigo lazily turned around, a scowl on his face, "Dad, shut-up."

The man moved in a dramatic manner, gesturing to his son in the process, "Do not hide your feelings, my son! Admit it!"

"I don't see her that way." His words bothered me for some reason. _Why am I annoyed by this? Ichigo and I are just friends. _

"I don't know," Karin's face and voice did not reveal any emotion, but I could tell that she was still teasing us, "you looked pretty cute with Ichigo holding you a second ago."

Ichigo sighed and shook his head, turning on his heel and heading towards the forest trail. I followed him, with a smiling Rukia close behind. Isshin continued to tease his son while his sisters whispered amongst each other, looking from me to their sibling once and a while. We came back to cemetery, where the Kurosakis and Rukia paused, so that I could have some time to visit my own family. I went to a trio of tombstones, seeing their names engraved on them.

_Hey mom, dad…sister. How are you guys doing? I'm fine. I just realized that I can see the spirits and I've been attacked by two Hollows. Oh, and I can read minds. Pretty cool, huh? And I'm living with a boy and a Shinigami girl. So yeah, just the norm. I wonder…if I can do anything that could be considered useful to Ichigo. I mean, what can mind reading do for him? Hmm…maybe I can predict an enemy's attacks before they perform them and warn him in advance? Man, I still feel useless! Oh well, I guess not everyone can have _amazing _powers. Well, I need to go. I don't want to waste the other's time. See'ya. _

I turned away from their tombstones, and returned to the small party…

**End of this chapter. Please review and I shall update soon…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, time for a chapter that focuses more on Hinata's involvement in this story. This chapter is a big turning point in the story. Also, I changed Hinata's appearance. She has long, dirty blonde hair and sky-blue eyes and freckles on her cheeks. I went back and changed that in the story to avoid any confusion. So, without adieu… **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**CLAIMER: I do own my OCs and any plot twists. **

**Please enjoy, no flames, but I will accept constructive criticism. **

**Chapter 9: Losses **

"_A dying man needs to die,_

_As a sleepy man needs to sleep,_

_And there comes a time when it is wrong, _

_As well useless,_

_To resist._"

-Stewart Alsop

Waking up in Ichigo's closet was less awkward the next morning. I smacked my forehead against the shelf again, forgetting that it was there. A rustle from above told me that Rukia was awake.

"Ugh…Hinata," she leaned over the edge, glaring at me.

I blinked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, "Sorry, keep forgetting that shelf is there." I stroked my sore cranium. I reached up and slid the door open, then rolled out of the closet. Light was pouring in through the window. Another day of school had come.

I rose to my feet and crossed the room, finding Ichigo still snoring away; he was wrapped in the cocoon he called a blanket. I checked the time; he needed to get up soon. Rukia climbed off of her shelf and joined my side, gazing down at the orange haired teen sleepily.

"Wanna wake him up?"

She grinned evilly, "Well, his constant arguments with Kon are a little annoying…I guess retribution is in order."

Her words held meaning. Kon and Ichigo spent most of the night arguing over something, keeping both the Shinigami and I awake. So, I desired a little payback. Both Rukia and I grabbed his blanket, and tore it from his body. As a reflex, Ichigo curled into a tight ball, shivering at the sudden change in temperature. It was hot outside but the air conditioner made life indoors easy. That did not work very well. So, Rukia and I grabbed the underside of his mattress.

Just as we were about to tip it, I stopped and looked at her. "We should make this more enjoyable and do a countdown."

"Why?"

"Because we can."

"Okay."

"Three."

"Two."

"One." We finished in unison.

With out combined efforts, we managed to tip the mattress sideways, despite the added weight. Because the bed was pressed against the wall, when we flung the boy sideways, he smacked against the wall face-first, crushed between said wall and the mattress. We giggled as the mattress slowly peeled away from the wall.

Ichigo sat up, glaring at us fiercely, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?"

"That's for keeping us up almost all night just because you can't get along with a stuffed animal," I deadpanned. I glanced back and forth, "Where is Kon anyway?"

The redhead shrugged, "How should I know? I'm not his mom." He stroked his nose, eyes still narrowed.

"I'm right here 'ya Soul Reaper wannabe!"

I turned around just in time to see Kon leap from Ichigo's shelf and land on his head, punching him with soft golden paws. Ichigo grabbed the stuffed animal and chucked him across the room, causing him to slam against the wall.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the groggy teen, "You're so mean to people smaller then you."

"I can't help it if he's dumb enough to provoke me." He defended.

I sighed and shook my head. He was so immature sometimes. I turned and slid under the shelf in the closet while Rukia climbed on top of it. She closed the door, and began pulling her pajamas off. I slid my tank-top off, my sweatpants soon followed. My uniform soon replaced what I once wore.

"Okay, I'm dressed." I heard Rukia announce from above.

With that, I slid the door open, finding Ichigo closing the top button of his ivory, short-sleeved shirt.

"I'll go downstairs and sneak some breakfast up here for you two, okay?" The orange haired teen said as he left the room, not even waiting to hear a reply from either one of us. I assumed he was speaking to the shinigami and I. Rukia continued brushing her hair while we waited for Ichigo to arrive with our food. I was relieved when he reappeared, holding a plate occupied by a duo of rice balls. Ichigo was munching on the third. Rukia and I snatched our breakfast from the plate and consumed it quickly.

When we finished off our morning nourishment, the three of us quietly evacuated Ichigo's bedroom and snuck into the bathroom near the end of the hallway. We locked the door. The three of us took turns brushing our teeth, and then carefully snuck back to the boy's bedroom when we were finished.

"I'm going ahead. See'ya." The boy left his bedroom, closing the door as he did.

Rukia and I carefully climbed out of his bedroom window, and began descending the ladder.

When I was close enough, I dropped to the ground, soon followed by Rukia. Lucky for us, Keigo and Mizuiro did not decide to drop by and visit the boy adorned with orange tresses.

"Hinata," Rukia called as I headed towards the sidewalk. I turned to face her, wondering what she could want. "I need to stop by somewhere, okay? So I might be late. Tell Ichigo for me."

I nodded my head and turned away from her, continuing to the sidewalk. Ichigo was there, waiting for the two of us to join him. "Rukia is going somewhere. No idea where." I told him as I walked past him. Without a word, he followed me. The air was hot, causing sweat to force its way from the flesh of my brow. Cars zipped by, the humans driving them riding in air conditioned comfort. Random pedestrians passed by, bent on reaching their intended destination.

It took a few minutes of stopping at two different intersections and crossing several streets before we reached Karakura High School.

The ivory hallways of the school were filled with students, all of their ages ranging from fifteen to eighteen years of age.

We moved across the hallway, headed up two flights of stairs, and then down another hallway. This is where our classroom was. The room was already filling with students. Ichigo left my left and went to join Keigo and Mizuiro, while I went with my small posse.

"Good morning, Hinata!" Orihime waved as I neared my desk.

I returned her smile, "Hey there, Orihime. How're you guys doing?"

"I'm fine, thank-you." I could see the look in her eyes. She knew what yesterday was, but she was not about to talk about it.

"Hey Hinata, why did you skip yesterday?" Michiru asked me as turned away from Mahana, who was sitting at a nearby desk, writing on a piece of parchment.

I faked an irritated expression, "Oh, I was feeling like crap yesterday. But I feel better today!" That was part of the truth. I sat at my desk and began pulling my things out of bag, wanting to be ready for when the teacher took control.

"Hey, Tatsuki," Mahana called from her desk, "Did you finish the language arts assignment sensei gave us yesterday?"

The raven-haired girl smiled proudly, "Yup!"

"Well, can you tell me if I'm going this right?" She held the parchment up for the other female to see.

"Come on, Mahana. It's a biography about a famous author. Shouldn't be that hard to write." But she took the paper anyway, taking a good look at the wording.

I looked away from the two, and simply allowed my gaze wander.

While sitting at my desk, I spotted Uryu Ishida sitting in the center. He was at his desk, sewing something. He was only boy I knew of that had the ability to sew, and was so withdrawn. He hardly ever spoke to anyone. There was only one person in this class he spoke to the most, and that was Akira Shimomura. Akira was a young girl, no older then fifteen years. She bore short, milk chocolate brown tresses; it was a little spiky, although not overly so. Her skin was lightly tanned. Dark, sapphire-blue diamonds allowed her eyesight. Like me, she usually wore the full uniform, excluding the crimson bow.

Uryu and Akira seemed to be good friends; seeing as they were almost always together when given the chance. Some of my classmates assumed that they were item; but their actions said otherwise.

"Good morning everyone!" a familiar voice called from the door. Rukia skipped into the room, a polite smile plastered across her face.

It was strange how she seemed to be a completely different person outside of school, but in public she acted as though she bore not a care in the world. I guess it was part of the disguise.

Shortly after her arrival, the teacher arrived and took over. I listened as the bell rang throughout the building, signifying that school was in session. The day went on as it usually would, starting with language arts and moving into algebra. Everything about my normal life seemed boring compared to recent events. It was becoming difficult to pay attention in class nowadays. Unfortunately, I did not have anything to eat during lunch today. But luck was on my side, as Tatsuki was kind enough to share her food with me. Afterwards, we were forced to participate in gym class.

Once school was out, Ichigo, Rukia, and I headed to the clinic.

The orange haired teen and I entered through the front door of the building while Rukia used the ladder to climb into Ichigo's bedroom. I spent the next three hours standing behind the counter, waiting for something interesting to happen. Nothing did. Another hour passed before Isshin appeared and handed me an assignment. I was supposed to mop the floor. It was annoying task, but I could not defy my boss's orders.

Four more hours passed as I mopped the floors of every room. When finished, I placed the cleaning utensils inside of the closet. I checked the clock, seeing that it was time for me to leave.

"Bye, Mr. Kurosaki!" I called as I walked towards the doors.

Said man was carefully walking along the wet floor. He waved at me as I left.

I was about to take my usual course and head to Ichigo's room, when a sudden urge hit me. I wanted to go to the river and watch the stars. I remembered that I used to do that with my mother. She would take me down to the river and we would lie in the grass, trying to memorize the different constellations. Deciding that there would be no harm in obeying my urge, I left the Kurosaki residence altogether.

The sky was darkened by the passage of time, silver diamonds already coating its surface. Only a few minutes passed as I made my way to the river. There, I carefully descended the steep hill, and plopped onto the grass.

I fell back, allowing my eyes to connect with the sky.

I started naming the different constellations, curious to see if I remembered their location in the night sky.

_Hmmm…I think that's Narcissa. Yeah…I wonder if Ichigo knows anything about the stars. _A low growl echoed from behind me. Curious, I cocked my head so that I could see the source. Immediately, I wished I had not.

Coming to the river seemed like a bad decision now. For there was a humungous creature standing behind me. It was an overgrown, muscular panther, covered in what appeared to be ivory colored armor. Either that or I was seeing its skin. Black paws adorned with razor sharp claws allowed it movement. A long, ivory colored tail dangerously swished to and fro. A black color covered its neck. It bore sharp, black ears with white spots. Sharp, sky-blue eyes were starring at me hungrily. Rukia's warning about hollows attacking people when they least expect came to the forefront of my mind.

_Dammit… _I jumped to my feet and backed away from the feline, hoping that it would not attack me.

Luck was not on my side. For in that instant, the hungry cat lunged at me. I screamed and leapt out of the way. Immediately, I tried to run for the road, only to have the hollow appear in front of me. My heartbeat quickened as I jerked around and fled from it. The being's powerful paws echoed with each step as it took chase.

A scream ripped through the air as the panther took flight. I turned to see how close it was, only to be knocked to the ground as the feline landed on top of me. It raised one paw into the air. I held my hands up, eyes closed as I waited for the powerful creature to strike.

However, hope rose in my heart as the beast gave a scream of pain.

"Ichigo?" I opened my eyes and looked at my savior, only to feel a little let down. I was thankful that someone took the time to save my life, but I soon realized that it was not Ichigo.

Black beams outlined with dark purple encased the panther-like hollow inside of a clear box. I watched as black melted from the beams, encasing the hollow and lifting it into the air. The square container trembled as though it was composed of black and purple electricity. There was another scream of pain, one that forced me to cover my ears. The box evaporated into the air, releasing the hollow from its grasp. Blood poured from the hollow's body; deep gashes tore at its powerful frame.

I jumped in surprise and fear as a crimson beam shot past me. It hit the target, sending the panther soaring about a yard away. The attack left a deep hole in the feline's left back thigh, allowing scarlet liquid to pour unto the once green grass. The hollow rose to its feet, and released an inhuman roar before disappearing before my very eyes.

"Are you harmed?"

My hands trembled as I lowered them, slowly turning to the source of the masculine voice. There was a man standing near the water's edge. He appeared to be in his late twenties to early thirties. His head was covered by short, wavy hair as dark as chocolate. Kind, light brown irises gazed at me. Square glasses with black frames adorned his face. His skin was at least three shades darker then my own. There was warm look about him, like a kind father or a kind mentor. I knew instantly that he was not a normal man. He wore the same outfit that adorned Ichigo's body when the boy went into shinigami state. Only this man's attire was accompanied by a long white coat with wide rimmed sleeves that billowed in the soft breeze. On the black of the coat there was a black tattoo of a lily.

Remembering the last man who bore a similar appearance to this, I remained on guard. "N-no…just a little shaken up," I looked back, as if expecting the hollow to attack me from behind. It did not. I turned to face him again. "thank-you."

"Your welcome…Miss?" the man slowly moved towards me. His voice was calm and even, showing only fatherly kindness.

I decided to answer his question, seeing as he seemed nice enough. Plus, he saved my life. "Hinata…I won't tell you my last name…_Soul Reaper_."

"Such a lovely name, Miss Hinata," he stopped in front of me, "And you know what I am? Well, then I am sure you understand my reasoning for rescuing what was once a complete stranger."

I crossed my arms over my chest, and took a small step back, "Yeah…"

He seemed to notice my nervousness, "Are you afraid of me?"

"Well yeah, seeing as one of you guys attacked my friends yesterday." I replied, feeling a little braver.

I foresaw that he was going to ask who, only to have him prove my prediction false, "I see…you are capable of seeing me, correct?"

"Would I be talking to you if I couldn't?"

He chuckled, "Of course. That was a silly question, wasn't it? So you must possess high spiritual power, Miss Hinata?"

"I guess so…I mean, I can read minds. Does that say anything?" I scratched the back of my head, wondering if I should excuse myself from the conversation or not.

His head bobbed up and down, "It tells me everything I must know…" Pain pierced my chest. My jaw fell, and a scream of agony filled the air. My body convulsed violently as I looked down. To my horror, the man's hand impaled my chest and ribcage. His fingers wrapped around my still beating heart. "…unfortunately, you do not possess what I desire."

His once kind brown irises sharpened. They were dark and sinister, yet still remained serene despite his current action. _What the…!? _Not another thought crossed my mind. At that moment, the man squeezed my heart, and pulled back. Pain coursed through my body as my screams of pure agony increased in volume. The unknown male pulled my heart out of my ribcage, and held it in front of my face.

The still beating organ was connecting to a series of veins and cords, still attempting to pump blood. It was covered in the crimson liquid that glimmered in the moonlight. I glanced down at the hole in my chest; blood was pouring from the wound like a crimson colored waterfall. By that point, my entire body was completely numb. I turned my gaze to my heart, which was still resting in the man's hand. _Oh…m-my… _the man's fingers added pressure to my struggling heart, causing the flesh to burst, covering my face with my own blood.

My body went limp immediately after he crushed my heart. As if in slow motion, I fell backwards, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Black blotches tore at my vision, until was completely blind. My breathing came to a halt, and slowly, I faded into darkness…

***

The wind whirled around me as I leapt from roof to rooftop. My black clothing flapped around my arms and legs. Rukia was mounted on my back, holding onto my clothing as I flew through the air. My zanpakutō was already drawn; the arm that carried it was extended outward. _Dammit Hinata, where did you go? What part of 'hollows will attack you' do you not understand? _A few minutes ago, Rukia's soul phone detected a hollow. Its readings were off the chart; the Grand Fisher was nothing compared to this. I grew worried when Hinata did not come to my room, so we decided to look for both her and hollow. I had a feeling we would find them in the same place.

So, Kon possessed my body and went into shinigami state. Rukia climbed onto my back, and I leapt onto the rooftops.

"The reading is gone, Ichigo!" Rukia shouted, her eyes glued to her soul phone.

_Dammit. _I needed to find Hinata and fast.

My eyes continued to scan the ground as I silently prayed that she would appear in my peripheral vision.

I dropped to the street below us when I reached the end of the buildings and sprinted along the riverside. I turned my head to the right and scanned the grassy hill. I came to a sudden halt, scaring Rukia slightly.

"Ichigo, warn me before you do that!" the raven-haired girl hissed.

But I ignored her. My eyes were focused on something else. Slowly, I advanced on what I saw. I came to a stop near the water's edge. A gasp of horror sounded from above. Hinata Inoue was lying on the ground, her eyes void of life. She was covered in a pool of her in blood. I could see a deep hole inside of her chest, and instantly realized that her heart was missing. My legs trembled as I dropped to knees, unable to remove my eyes from the deceased girl.

Rukia climbed off of my back and knelt beside the body. Her expression mirrored my own. _No… _it was hard to accept. Hard to believe. But the undeniable truth was…

…Hinata Inoue was dead.

**Yes, I killed Hinata off. The truth is, she is not my main protagonist, nor was she supposed to be paired with Ichigo. The OC I am pairing with Ichigo has already appeared once, and the story will switch to her POV soon. So, please review and I shall update soon…**


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